NYS Music 20​15

Category: Western NY

  • Get Covered: Aqueous Plays Cake Themed Set in Buffalo

    Aqueous is not a band that takes their craft lightly. Over their nine years of existence they have endlessly tried to stretch the boundaries – A Super Mario Brother’s themed set, a career path minded Will Smith set for Halloween with all four members in different era Fresh Prince attire, and of course the four week themed residency at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo – which included Willy Wonka, Love, Decades and a Mystery Artist theme that featured a night of Beatles music mixed with AQ’s arsenal of originals.

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    This past Saturday at Buffalo’s Iron Works would be the latest on the themes from Aqueous – two sets, one original and one set featuring the music of alt-rock heroes Cake. The “Cake-Queous” set featured 12 first time played Cake songs interspersed and quite often interlaced with original music. The sold out crowd could not have been more fulfilled – with many vets expounding (in full Comic Store Guy accent) “Best Show Ever.”

    The good people at Buffalo.FM were on hand with camera’s all over the joint. Buffalo.fm (and wnymedia.net) are huge friends to the New York music scene, releasing tons of audio and video material free for fans and often streaming shows live. Today they released audio of Saturday’s Cake themed set.

  • Nightwish, Sabaton, and Delain Owned Buffalo’s Town Ballroom

    The turnout for the April 16 Nightwish show at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, both baffled and pleased fans to no end. After arriving just a few minutes before door time, the line had already extended from the Town Ballroom to nearly halfway down to the HSBC building. If you’re familiar with downtown Buffalo at all, you know that’s a pretty impressive line. I’ve been to a handful of shows at Town Ballroom over the years, and I’ve never had that “sardine in a can” feeling there before last night. In fact, it took security so long to funnel everyone inside, that at least a hundred people were still standing outside as Delain was starting their set. I squeaked in the door just after their first song.

    NightwishAs for the artists, Dutch symphonic metallers, Delain, kicked things off in their typical fashion with powerful orchestral keys, heavy riffs and captivating vocal melodies from front-lady, Charlotte Wessels. Most fans were disappointed with their song selection. They mostly played their more bland sounding tracks from the last few albums, along with their key singles. However, I felt they were strong in the sound department, making them a solid opener with surprisingly heavy crisp guitars, keys and vocals.

    Afterwards, Sweden’s Sabaton took the stage and dominated, plain and simple. They’re a fun group of guys that take heavy metal to the next level. Musically, they remind me of a heavier symphonic Judas Priest. Their songs are based on historical battles and American and European military history, but I think what really won them a lot of new fans last night was personality. Frontman, Joakim Brodén, was hilarious and made it a point to jokingly say, “If it wasn’t for some of your grandfathers, you’d all be speaking German right now,  and let’s face it, you Americans aren’t exactly known for your language skills.” A female fan also tossed her bra at Joakim at one point during their set, much to the delight of everyone in the room, on stage and off.

    Many of Sabaton’s songs are centered around American military history and Sabaton always makes it a point to give proper dedications to those who have fallen in the line of duty. Furthermore, a group of fans near the stage were signaling to the band with German, Swedish or American flags, in accordance with the lyrical content of whatever song was being played. My friend John was among them. At one point, Broden took hold of their Swedish flag and wore it as a cape like a superhero. Shortly after he boasted, “My superpower is going to be cheap furniture”, but not before he’d already commented, “Don’t think just because we have Ikea that we’re all peaceful and shit.”

    Sabaton cleared the stage after playing their encore, “Night Witches” which was the opening track off their latest album, Heroes. They then respectfully paved the way for Nightwish, who hails from Kitee, Finland.

    Nightwish began their set in typical Nightwish fashion. This was my fourth time seeing them, so I knew exactly what to expect. The lights dimmed, then eerie blue spotlights illuminated the room accompanied by the ominous sounds of rolling ocean waves and whale songs. Lately, they’ve been working a lot with Richard Dawkins, a well-known English ethologist and dedicated atheist. He narrates portions of Nightwish’s latest effort, Endless Forms Most Beautiful- an openly secular record paying homage to the life and work of Charles Darwin.

    Once the whales fell silent, Richard Dawkins’s voice kicked off the first song with, “The deepest solace lies in understanding, this ancient unseen stream- a shudder before the beautiful.” Wintersun drummer, Kai Hahto then immediately kicked into the song, “Shudder Before the Beautiful” along with Marco Heitala’s heavy bassline and Tuomas Holopainen’s orchestral synth arrangement. Then, one by one, the rest of the band emerged as needed.

    The set continued with fan favorites going all the way back in their discography to 1998’s Oceanborn. “Stargazers” and “Sleeping Sun” were played off that record. They also briefly visited Wishmaster with the song, “She is My Sin”. The rest of the set was made up of songs going from 2004’s Once through their latest release. From Once, they played “Dark Chest of Wonders”, “Nemo” and “Ghost Love Score” as one of two encores. Imaginarium was visited via the songs, “Storytime”, “I Want My Tears Back” and “Last Ride of the Day”, which was the second encore. Dark Passion Play was only touched on with “The Islander”, but that was a high point of their set for me because of Marco Heitala’s acoustic steel-stringed solo performance for the better part of it. Marco played a double neck for the majority of the set- an electric bass adjoined with an acoustic guitar.

    Troy Donockley wowed the audience with his flute and bagpipe skills during that song as well, while also joining Marco and lead vocalist, Floor Jansen for a moving vocal performance. I think Troy brings a lot to this band and I’m glad he’s a permanent part of it. Hearing his soothing flutes and bagpipes during older songs gave a whole new perspective. He ended “Sleeping Sun” with Tuomas on bagpipes and I felt that made the entire song much more enjoyable and fresh.

    As I’m sure you’d expect, the majority of Nightwish’s set was new material. Here’s what you can expect to hear from the new album on future tour dates:

    • “Shudder Before the Beautiful”
    • “Yours Is An Empty Hope”
    • “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”
    • “My Walden”
    • “Elan”
    • “Weak Fantasy” (Kai does an amazing drum solo to kick off this song)
    • “The Greatest Show On Earth”

    The night ended with Nightwish’s traditional bow to the audience, while Richard Dawkins spoke in the background about how lucky we are to be awake in this universe. It’s a sample from the song, “The Greatest Show on Earth”, named after one of Dawkins’s novels, released in 2009. Most European bands do a traditional bow to the audience after sets and Delain and Sabaton ended their sets the same way. I think it’s a very humble way to say goodbye to your fans and make some kind of connection with them, especially when you’re on the other side of the world, and the odds are good you’ll never see many of your audience members again.

    I suppose I’m now at that regrettable point where I’ve officially run out of words and thoughts about this wonderful show, so in conclusion, I’ll say this: Thank you for reading this review. If you were there last night, I hope I adequately conveyed last night’s events. If you weren’t there, whether you’re a fan of these bands or not, I hope my words at the very least inspired you to add some new songs to your music library. Thanks again for reading.

  • Screaming Females ROCK the Bug Jar

    New Jersey’s Screaming Females may have started as a punk rock band, but they currently are just a rock band.

    But not “just”, they have distilled the mere essence of rock, consumed it, and ooze it out of their every being. The rhythm section powers through every tune like their lives depend on it, which I suppose they do in a way. Abbate’s bass work is melodic yet driving. Dougherty’s drumming is not needlessly flashy, but tight and controlled with just the right bounce. Paternoster’s guitar work is nothing short of phenomenal. The riffs. Oh my god the riffs. These are riffs that cannot possibly be written. They already exist somewhere to be discovered, and she has discovered them, somehow, somewhere. Guitars exist so these can be played. Her solos explode from her guitar seemingly effortlessly. Her singing feels a little forced, but in the best possible way. It’s like she is creating a voice that is not her own, simply because it is the perfect voice to accompany the music.

    “First and foremost we want to make the show as good as it can be.”—Marissa Paternoster, guitar and lead vocals

    “The reason for us to go on tour is to go play music.”—Jarrett Dougherty, drums

    “If you’re going to be in a band you should want to play shows, right? I mean what the hell is the point if you’re not going to play?”—Michael Abbate, bass
    (Quotes taken from Noisey’s recent tour documentary)

    Midway through their hourlong set Saturday night at the Bug Jar, a ragged and sweaty man collapsed against the wall next to me, hunched over with his arm on his head. I thought he might collapse, or perhaps be messed up on too much drugs. After asking if he was ok, he looked up at me, smiled, and assured me he was just exhausted. He caught his breath, and seconds later jumped back into the maddening mass of people. The club was acting as one organism, pulsating in and out, back and forth, bodies knocking against each other with reckless abandon. When you left the show that night, you had the sweat of a dozen other people dripping off your skin. The line between the stage and the crowd was blurred, the audience regularly pushing past the edge of the stage. Paternoster took a couple of solos leaning out while the crowd supported her, once in a full-out crowd surf. And Abbate, at once point, called up a friend from the audience, quickly taught him the bass line, handed over his guitar, and then ran out into the crowd to see how it was on the other side, jumping around and screaming, like a fan of his own band. Later he exuberantly lead us in the post set encore chant. The band was having as much fun as the audience, our energies were equalized, the entire room was one.

    Screaming Females yearn to put on the best possible show every night. On this night, I can confirm, they damn well succeeded.

  • The Ballroom Thieves Sound Big at Abilene

    New England has unexpectedly become a hotbed of the new folk scene that has emerged in the past decade. At first glance it felt like it was just a perceived and inflated importance caused by the Newport Folk Fest favoring regional bands in their undercard selections. Perhaps that has had some influence. but at this point it does seem much bigger than just the work of one festival. One of the latest bands to emerge on the scene is Boston’s The Ballroom Thieves, with Martin Earley on guitar, Devin Mauch on percussion and Calin Peters on cello. They came to Rochester’s Abilene Bar and Lounge just ahead of the release of their debut full-length, A Wolf in the Doorway, out on April 21.

    As they took the stage the crowd was loud, chatty and hardly aware the band had begun. Opening with “Storms,” a pleasant plucked guitar with just Earley’s voice which could hardly pierce through the noisy din. But as Mauch and Peters’ vocals layered in beautifully, one by one the offending noises dropped out and the crowd nudged in closer. The vocals built to a climax with some punctuated stomping, and just like that the Thieves had stolen the bar for themselves.

    Right away Earley had proven he could carry a performance himself if need be, nailing his vocals and showcasing some quality guitar work. But this was a band of three. As they moved next into “Wild Woman,” a banging country rocker off their upcoming album, the other two were able to showcase more fully their contributions. Mauch’s set-up was customized and somewhat unusual. Just a tom, snare, cymbal and a djembe laid on the floor that acted as a de facto bass drum.  Add to that a string of jingle bells that was wrapped around his thigh. Using sticks, brushes and various sized mallets, he was able to manufacture the perfect amount of noise to fit each tune. His resulting hypnotic seated dance was at times just as entertaining as the rhythms produced.

    Earley picked up his electric guitar for the deep Delta blues of “Oars to the Sea.” But it wasn’t the guitar that would shine. Unexpectedly, Peters stepped up with as bluesy a solo you will hear on a cello. Throughout the evening her cello work proved to be the secret weapon. Either with her solos which could mimic a guitar’s wail, carrying the songs melody or filling in the gaps with plucks and bows, the cello grabbed my attention as much as anything. Later in the set she would show off more of her talents, singing a lilting lead on a song she co-wrote with Earley, “Bury Me Smiling”. (video below)

    So it begins with Earley’s guitar work. Then sprinkle on the unique rhythms from Mauch and engaging cello work from Peters. Layer upon that what might be this bands strongest attribute, their soaring 3-part harmonies. Working all together to perform the music they’ve written, a varied collection of rockers, ballads, hymnals, barroom blues and on, all hewing Americana. The new songs noticeably stood out as especially strong throughout the set. I expect A Wolf in the Doorway will be turning some heads in the coming weeks and months and year. It is such a treat to be able to see a young band’s evolution occurring in real-time on the stage.

    Usually you long for the days when you could still see a band with a small intimate crowd before they “made it.” But The Ballroom Thieves played beyond the walls of the small neighborhood bar. The sound reached up and out and yearned to be heard somewhere bigger, with better acoustics, more people, more energy, more everything. I’m looking forward to when they make it, which might not be too far off, and might even be up on that Newport stage.

  • Finland’s Nightwish to Perform at Town Ballroom April 16

    On Thursday, April 16, Finland’s Nightwish will be performing in Buffalo, NY for the very first time at Town Ballroom, located at 681 Main St in downtown Buffalo. The Finnish symphonic metal band has toured the globe several times over and released eight full length albums, the most recent of which is entitled Endless Forms Most Beautiful. It’s a long epic release named after a quote by Charles Darwin and is based on the wonders of life, as well as making choices based on science and reason. It’s also the driving force behind their current world tour, which just kicked off in New York City on April 10.

    Finland's Nightwish Nightwish will be making their first trip to Buffalo during a very interesting time in their career. They’ve just recently brought Floor Jansen into the group for lead vocals. Some might remember her from her long career with Dutch symphonic metal group, After Forever. This makes Floor, Nightwish’s third female vocalist since the forming of the band, and the general consensus so far is that she’s proven herself to be a very worthy successor of Tarja Turenen and Anette Olzon. Nightwish is also being joined by Wintersun drummer, Kai Hahto for the foreseeable future, after their longtime drummer and friend Jukka Nevalainen decided to step down recently due to chronic insomnia. Furthermore, Troy Donockley is permanently adding his Celtic instrumentation to the band’s already enchanting orchestral sound, which is bound to treat every audience they play to on this tour to an even more unique experience.

    One of the highlights on Endless Forms Most Beautiful is the 24 minute closing track, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, and rumors are flying that those in attendance at Town Ballroom this Thursday will be hearing that very long, very impressive epic in the latter portion of the setlist. Longtime fans are hopeful that they’ll be hearing some of Nightwish’s older material at the show, and according to online sources, select tracks from Oceanborn, Wishmaster, Century Child and Once will be resurrected for this tour.

    So, whether you’ve only recently been introduced to Nightwish, or you’re a longtime listener, given the group’s sterling reputation for live performances, it seems fair to say that no one will be leaving this show disappointed. Even if you’ve never heard music like this before and you want to try something different, most fans of music in general can find something they appreciate in the music of Nightwish. Their songs are captivating, theatrical, symphonic, passionate and honest. We sincerely hope to see you there for what is bound to be a breathtaking event, the likes of which Buffalo has never experienced!

    “I do believe only innocence can save the world.” – Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish founder, composer and lyricist)

  • Consider the Source and Ocular Panther Wordlessly Wow Flour City Station

    If there is always a lesson to be learned, then the one imparted to those in attendance at the Flour City Station in Rochester last Thursday night was simply: Lyrics are overrated. Two rising young bands – Consider the Source Ocular Panther – owned the stage on that night. Neither sang a single word. And yet, epic tales were told, vivid images imagined…

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    The night started with local stalwarts Ocular Panther. Formerly a trio, they debuted their newly minted quartet, adding drummer Jimmy Grillo, formerly of Roots Collider, to existing guitarists Colin Jones and Mike Pantano, and bassist Jason Gilly. Considering the complexity of their compositions, with long instrumental passages, shifting time signatures, and the heavily improvised nature of their music, it was not an easy role to jump into. A hiccup or two would be expected. But not on this night, and not for Jimmy Grillo. Having a live drummer, especially one of Grillo’s capability, created an entirely new dynamic for the band. The sound advanced beyond just electronic dance grooves, becoming less predictable and more nuanced. The electronic drum sounds still showed up here and there, but acted more as a spice and not a driving force. Jones was more freed up to concentrate on guitar, and both he and Pantano were equally impressive on rhythm and explosive leads. As good as they sounded, it seems they’ll only be improving in the coming shows as Grillo continues to grow more comfortable in the band. And those in Rochester will have plenty of opportunities to check Ocular Panther out in the coming weeks as they are on a bunch of upcoming bills.

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    The stage was set then for NYC’s Consider the Source. The individual parts of which defied comprehension. Gabriel Martin on fretless double-neck guitar could coax an incredible catalog of sounds out of his instrument. Some by effects pedals (of which he was surrounded by a rather large floor full) which turned his guitar into everything from a sitar to a clarinet. Some of it was just in the technique, which ranged from straight metal-esque raging to slinky sliding Middle Eastern melodies. At one point he utilized a trombone effect, which was particularly interesting as he played it like a slide. John Ferrara played bass like a lead instrument, melodic and beautiful and technically brilliant. Rarely content to sit back in a simple groove, his fingers were in constant motion, pulling and kneading the music into extraordinary and unusual spaces. Jeff Mann’s drumming style was that of a perpetual solo. Like Ferrara, rarely settling into a rhythm, just constant motion, constant changes, but still holding it all together.

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    It was soloing in triplicate. But the real magic was the intersection of all three. Their music intertwined ancient Middle Eastern and Indian influences with jazz, rock and metal into a quasi-futuristic blend that represented a land and a culture that don’t yet exist. This was particularly evident in their latest venture, Put Another Rock in That Bag, a multi-part composition released last year on their World War Trio EP. And their interpretation of Radiohead’s Paranoid Android was likewise not of this world.


    After over three hours of intense instrumental jams, the crowd cheered not just for one more song, but for one more set. Yep… lyrics are definitely overrated. Lesson learned.

  • Third Times a Charm for The Decemberists at Center for the Arts in Buffalo

    Touring behind their early 2015 album, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World, The Decemberists brought their show to the Center for the Arts in Buffalo. It was their third time at the venue, but the first time that they sold it out.

    Toronto quintet Alvvays (pronounced Always) opened the evening, performing the excellent material off of their debut self-titled album released last year. It was their first in a run of shows with the Decemberists, after they were held up at the US border and had to miss their engagement the previous night in Pittsburgh. The trials and tribulations of being an opening band continued unfortunately, and the sound was downright awful throughout their set. Squeezed into a small spot at the front of the stage, they plowed through a quick 30 minutes that fell somewhat flat, through no fault of their own. The heavily distorted low-end, drowned out whatever other sounds were present.

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    After a quick and extremely punctual changeover, The Decemberists took the stage innocently enough. Colin Meloy, his acoustic guitar and a lone spotlight. He started up the first track on their new album, the appropriately titled, “The Singer Addresses His Audience.” Simultaneously a dark backdrop displaying some female archers dropped behind the stage. One by one the remaining members of the band, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, John Moen, Nate Query and two backup singers including the fantastic Kelly Hogan, entered the stage. A second backdrop fell in front of the first, creating a dimensional representation of the new album’s colorful artwork. The band kicked in, Meloy revved up the energy, jumping on to the drum riser, running into the front of the stage, strumming with ferocity. Not only was the singer addressing his audience, but within the first three minutes, he was making a pronouncement: “We are the headliners, and we are here to entertain the heck out of you!”

    Early on the audience called out their requests in the silence between songs. Meloy answered that they had a set list, and they were happy with the way it flowed. And he wasn’t kidding either. The set list was constructed almost as carefully as their well crafted songs. As would be expected, the latest album was best represented. The album itself hasn’t particularly grabbed me, it lacks the overarching character and completeness that their previous efforts have included. The individual songs however, suit their live show well, and blended seamlessly with their time-tested material. The evening included the live debut performance of “Anti-Summersong” (video below). Through perfect song placement, including material from their entire catalog, Meloy and the band played the room like a puppet. Controlling the energy throughout the night, they perfectly brought it to a head late in the set. The seated audience roared to its feet, almost on cue, and stayed there the rest of the way.

    Meloy wasn’t afraid to lay bare some of the messier moments in the honing of his songwriting craft. He revealed the original lyrics to “The Calamity Song” as sung to his son one morning over breakfast – Hank eat your oatmeal. Later also confiding in us the worst song he ever wrote, which concerned Dracula’s daughter; And yes, we should all be glad that one was scrapped.

    The band, seven strong, had the ability to sound like much more. Each member played various instruments throughout the night, filling in whatever was needed for each song and providing a dynamic range of sound. Accordion, trumpet, pedal steel, banjo, percussion… During “The Rake” Conlee and Funk came out with floor toms, banging away with rhythmic bombast. Meloy then orchestrated the audience in a three-part clapping exercise that worked flawlessly and incredibly into the mix. The audience would be called upon again to become an eighth member in a sing-along on the ensuing 16 Military Wives.

    Old songs were given fresh legs, such as with early era hit “Los Angeles, I’m Yours.” Conlee’s jazzy organ and the backup vocal oohs and aahs gave it a funkily awesome Stevie Wonder vibe. Somehow their live mainstay, “The Mariner’s Revenge” was kept feeling fresh. A large confetti-spewing whale was carried out on stage by the backup singers and it “devoured” the band, which lay lifeless on the stage. A fitting end for The Decemberists. What other band would/could/should play a theatrical Russian-folk-song inspired sea shanty as their big closing number?

    Set List: The Singer Addresses His Audience, Cavalry Captain, Down by the Water, Calamity Song, Grace Cathedral Hill, Anti-Summersong, Make You Better, The Wrong Year, The Island, Los Angeles, I’m Yours, Carolina Low, A Bower Scene >Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga), The Rake’s Song, 16 Military Wives, O Valencia!, A Beginning Song, 12/17/12, The Mariner’s Revenge Song

  • Hearing Aide: Seplophile ‘Mesonoxian’

    Seplophile MesonoxianEvery once and awhile, you come across an album that you just can’t stop hearing about, even years after its release. Lately, that album for me has been Mesonoxian by Buffalo death metal bosses, Seplophile. It first graced my ears in February of 2013, and although I haven’t really listened to it since the summer of that year, I still hear at least one person bring it up at every Buffalo metal show I attend. Mesonoxian seems to have set a new standard for not only other Buffalo locals, but a few touring bands that have come through the area as well.

    Back in May of 2013, I played a show with Seplophile and Arsis (Nuclear Blast Records) at Broadway Joes. During Seplophile’s set, I had a conversation with James Malone, Arsis’s frontman. He made a comment about how Seplophile not only made a great impression on him, but how they really stood out in an already very talented Buffalo metal scene. Malone later went on to address the crowd during Arsis’s set, giving Buffalo’s metal scene that traditional horns and hails. Then, at last Friday’s ‘Metal Fights Cancer’ event at Rockin’ Buffalo Saloon, I caught up with a lot of Western New York metal scene veterans who repeatedly brought up Mesonoxian, one show goer in particular still citing it as “the best metal album ever released by a Buffalo band, not of national status.” In short, all the attention this album continues to get today, has made me want to revisit it two years later and pick it apart.

    It kicks off with “Exhale All Life”, an ominous piano intro played by guitarist, Matt Backlas. The keys come and go throughout the record, all of which are played by Matt, and perfectly compliment the “simply death” idea at the foundation of Seplophile’s music. “Anomos: Identity Crisis” is an ideal opening track for any death metal album. It pulls you in with quick evil riffing accompanied by vocalist Colin Winkelman’s persistent and consistent low growls, ripping basslines and relentless blast beats. “The Isolationist” provides the same punishing death metal truth as “Anomos” which further carries the band’s ultimate message: “DEATH METAL PREVAILS”, which also appears at the end of the credits on Mesonoxian. Then, finally, we get to “Quarantined”, which has the most melodic section on the record by this point. It has a tremolo outro that uses metal’s signature “sad scale” and paints a dismal picture of growth from decay, or perhaps triumph from misery. A 3 part death metal masterpiece follows this change of pace, called “Philosophiae Naturalis- The Portents of Ash- Shaytan”, made up of tracks 6-8, respectively titled, “Omen of the Adversary”, “Under Shifting Sands”, and “Glassstorms”. “Under Shifting Sands” is a straight forward injection of grind, doom, crunch and melody, and was the first single released by the band for the album. Other songs stood out to me a little more on the track list, but given their diehard death metal demographic, “Under Shifting Sands” is a smart single choice. “Fields of Stone” is the next standalone track and has a devastatingly powerful and emotional outro. It’s very doomy, melodic and extremely well composed. Matt’s keys return here and slow harmonized leads make for a fitting finale to a truly driving song. Afterwards, the boys close the album out the way it begins with “Retribution” and the title track, “Mesonoxian”. These two last songs rip and leave you wanting more. The roller coaster has stopped too soon and you feel like you haven’t gotten your money’s worth. All the more reason to get excited for the forthcoming second album or a live show!

    Seplophile will be performing at Broadway Joes in Buffalo on Sunday 4/26 with Buffalo thrash legends, Hellcannon and New York death metal legends, Incantation (Relapse Records, Necropolis Records, Listenable Records). If you want to relive death metal’s glory days through a rejuvenated sound, be at this show. If you haven’t listened to Seplophile yet, do so.

    If you’re less into traditional death and more into bands that wave the “deathcore” flag like White Chapel, Suicide Silence or Chelsea Grin, you might be disappointed. But if you fall somewhere in between, you might just find that Seplophile has a little something for everyone craving a little bit of heavy.

    Key Tracks: Quarantined, Fields of Stone, Under Shifting Sands

  • UPDATED: Darien Lake Concert Series 2015

    As the weather begins to heat up, so does the line up at the upcoming 2015 Summer Concert Series at Darien Lake. With still more announcements to come, some of todays hottest rock, pop, and country bands will join legends as they make their way through Central New York. Stay tune as NYS Music brings to you the latest on announcements as they are made.

    All Darien shows include free parking. Concert goers can also opt for an upgraded ticket that includes all day admission to the amusement park.

    Concerts In-Park (Free with park admission)

    May 23 – Debby Ryan & The Never Ending
    June 13 – Jake Miller
    June 27 – Shawn Mendes

    Darien Lake Performing Arts Center 2015 concert series

    July 11 – Toby Keith
    July 12 – Def Leppard
    July 15 – Warped Tour
    July 21 – Kelly Clarkson
    July 29 – Slipknot
    July 30 – Tim McGraw
    Aug. 4 – Kid Rock
    Aug. 6 – Zac Brown Band
    Aug. 7 – Nickelback
    Aug. 8 – Florida Georgia Line
    Aug. 13 – Jason Aldean
    Aug. 21 – Darius Rucker
    Aug. 25 – Van Halen – Just Added
    Aug. 29 – Rascall Flatts
    Sep. 3-4 – Luke Bryan

  • Seplophile: Breathing New Life Into Death Metal

    At some point over the last few decades, the foundation of death metal began to crack, and through these cracks came a flood of sub-genres, such as, ‘deathcore‘, ‘melodic death’, ‘progressive/tech death’, etc. This made a lot of traditional death metal fans feel as though their beloved genre was turning into a faraway thing. With a slew of  bands manifesting themselves under these new and now prevalent classifications, it’s no wonder that a solid band of talented guys, dedicated to going back to death metal’s roots would gain some serious attention. The band is called Seplophile and they’ve spent the last few years making waves in the name of death metal.

    Their debut album Mesonoxian is a true testament to what the band stands for and any death metal veteran would have to agree. It was released in February of 2013 on Butchered Records and is still regarded by most scene supporters as one of the best heavy metal albums to come from a Buffalo local in years. The band is comprised of Shawn Gomez (From This Day) on bass, Matt Backlas on guitar, Greg DiPasquale (Sons of Azrael, Herod) on guitar, Allen Malkiewicz (From This Day) on drums, and Colin Winkelman on vocals.

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    While still playing the occasional show, they are currently in the process of writing their greatly anticipated second album. They’ll also be playing with New York death metal legends Incantation at Broadway Joe’s on Sunday, April 26. Also gracing the stage that night will be Rochester’s Order of the Dead and Buffalo thrash legends Hellcannon.

    So, if you haven’t checked out Seplophile yet, and you’ve been yearning for a heavy dose of death, the likes of which would appease Chuck Schuldiner (Death, Control Denied), take a listen to the track below and watch them perform with Incantation in just a few weeks!