NYS Music 20​15

Tag: Metal Monthly Fix

  • The Top 10 Fictional Hard Rock/Metal Bands

    Hard rock and heavy metal never seem to get the spotlight much in general.  But over the modern era of movies and television, some of that media did have the balls to put metal and hard rock front and center.  And when it came to light, various fictional bands were made for our viewing and listening pleasure that we all salivated over and just thought “man…if only they were REAL.”  So now let’s take a look at the top ten fictional hard rock and metal bands.

    10. Stillwater from ‘Almost Famous’ (2000)

    This movie may not have been a box office smash, but did generate Oscar nominations and a Grammy for best movie soundtrack.  The fictional band Stillwater was a 70’s hard rock band featured in this flick, as a young journalist follows them on the road.  This movie has become a cult classic and has been praised by critics and fans alike.

    9. The Foreskins from ‘How I Met Your Mother’

    I was never a fan of this show, (GASP!) however, check out these hilarious sequences below.  It’s nice to see that a primetime network sitcom had it in them to highlight heavy metal.

    8. Wyld Stallyns from the ‘Bill And Ted’ movies (1989, 1991)

    With so much buzz about Bill and Ted 3 a possibility in the near future, let’s take a look at the greatness that is the Wyld Stallyns and why they SHOULD have opened for Iron Maiden.  We can’t wait to see what the Wyld Stallyns have been up to in present time.

    7. Clam Daddy from ‘Pray For Rock & Roll’ (2003)

    Someone once close to me showed me this movie years ago, and man, what an unforgettable and overlooked movie.  It’s crammed with drama and unforgettable moments, but more importantly, it has lots of killer music.  These chicks rock hard, but struggle trying to get that major label deal that every band wants.  Check out the scene below.

    6. Satan’s Night Out/The Vampire Lestat from ‘Queen Of The Damned’ 2001

    If vampires were real, I hope they would put on a concert like this. (And maybe not sound like Jonathon Davis)

    5. The Lone Rangers from ‘Airheads’ (1994)

    I was a radio student in college and our professor MADE us watch this movie.  If I didn’t include it on this list, someone would have hunted me down.

    4. Crucial Taunt from the ‘Wayne’s World’ movies (1992,1993)

    Everyone was in love with Cassandra Wong when these movies came out.  And if Wayne and Garth were doing this in the YouTube era….watch out!

    3. Steel Dragon from ‘Rockstar’ (2001)

    SPOILER ALERT.  Yes…this movie is really about Tim ‘The Ripper” Owens and his stint with Judas Priest.  So if you know that whole ordeal then you know what to expect in this movie.  However, it was awesome seeing Zakk Wylde and Jason Bonham in the same band.  And yes that is Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge at this scene at the end.

    2. Spinal Tap from ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984)

    I’m sure there’s a lot of pissed off metal heads right now for this not being number one.  But hey, it’s on the list. ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ is like the holy Bible for metal heads and a hilarious movie.

    1. Dethklok from ‘Metalocalypse’

    This is the unquestionable greatest cartoon ever and the most powerful fictional band to ever slay the universe.  There is no justifying this fictional band for being number one.  Yes, there is a Dethklok that tours….but that doesn’t count.

    So what order do you think this list should be in, and who is your number one fictional band.  What fictional band would you include on this list that was not mentioned?  Sound off in the comments below.

  • Metal Monthly Fix: Top Ten Metal Festivals To Go See In 2015

    As the weather (finally) starts to clear up for all of New York State, we are gearing closer to festival season.  However, for all you metal heads, there is PLENTY of great festivals in and outside New York State that one must go check out at least once in their lifetime.  So we hope this list will help you make plans if you have time this summer to see a metal festival. So without further ado, here are the top ten most anticipated metal festivals that you need to check out in 2015.

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    Honorable Mention: GWAR-B-Q

    With no official announcement for this year as of yet, GWAR-B-Q is GWAR’s hometown party in Richmond, VA that has been running five years strong every August, even post Dave Brockie. Last year’s featured Body Count, Hatebreed, Misfits, and more. But with nothing announced, we can only anticipate at the moment.

    1. Maryland Deathfest

    For those who love nothing but death metal,  Maryland Deathfest is a wet dream come true for you. With 80 bands over four days (May 21-24) on three stages in Baltimore, MD, makes it the premiere death metal event. Some of the bands are Obituary, Napalm Death, Coke Bust, Suffocation, Amorphous, Skinless and much, much more.

    1. Southeast Beach

    If you plan on making a trip to Jacksonville, FL next month, be sure to catch Southeast Beast on April 4 and 5, which will be loaded with local CNY favorites such as Earth Crisis and GhostxShip, along with NYC veterans Cro-Mags, Biohazard, and Life Of Agony and more. So hardcore and nice Florida weather? Sounds like a no brainer!

    1. This Is Hardcore

    Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love will be the city of bloody knuckles from July 23-26 when This Is Hardcore brutally takes over the Electric Factory in downtown Philly.  With no lineup announced yet, look for it to be announced early summer. And for your own safety, DO NOT WEAR ANY NEW YORK SPORTS GEAR OF ANY KIND IF YOU GO.

    1. Carolina Rebellion

    Rapidly growing bigger every year, Carolina Rebellion has become one of the premiere music festivals in the United States. With Slipknot, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, In This Moment, and many more hard rock and metal bands filling the bill, it’s worth taking the weekend of May 2 and 3 down to Charlotte, NC.

    1. Black N Blue Bowl

    Brooklyn, NY is the perfect and ideal spot for Black N Blue Bowl, which features the best metal and hardcore in and outside of NYC. Webster Hall for two days, May 16 and 17 will be slaughtered by the likes of Madball, Earth Crisis, The Regulators, Crumbsuckers, Sick Of It All, Candiria, and many more.

    1. **NEW FESTIVAL** Full Terror Assault

    Recently announced, the United States FINALLY has an OPEN AIR FESTIVAL in Rock-In-Cave, Indiana called Full Terror Assault. The first annual festival will be running for 3 Days, September 10-12 and will feature 75 Bands including Fear Factory, Terrorizer, Broken Hope, Misery Index, and many more.  And the kicker to this show…..BYOB.

    1. Rockstar Mayhem Tour

    Growing strong since 2008, Rockstar Mayhem Tour essentially replaced Ozzfest as the premiere traveling metal festival.  Although no lineup officially announced, rumor has it Slayer and King Diamond will be headlining along with Thy Art Is Murder and Whitechappel. Look for the official announcement on April 13.  It’s a safe bet plenty of venues across New York State will get stops including, SPAC and Darien Lake.

    1. Rock On The Range

    Since being founded in 2007, Rock On The Range has been rapidly growing, with bands of all kind just BEGGING to play in any slot. Always held a couple of weekends before memorial day, this year,  they offer a very diverse lineup, Slipknot, Judas Priest, and Linkin Park lead to what will be guaranteed to be sold out like it has been every year.  It has become easily a top 3 music festival in the United States.

    1. New England Metal and Hardcore Festival

    Always a steady landmark for all types of metal each year, this year’s New England Metal and Hardcore Festival in Worcester, MA is held April 17-19, with bands like Testament, Motionless In White, Cavalera Conspiracy, Between The Buried And Me, Corrosion Of Conformity, Exodus and much more. Easy to travel from just about anywhere in New York State, it is definitely a must go every year.

    1. Heavy Montreal

    It was hard to choose, but this festival every year has been just way to hard to ignore. But this year’s Heavy Montreal has Slipknot, Faith No More, Korn, Lamb Of God, Meshuggah, and Mastodon headlining over a heavy and diverse lineup. If you have a passport, you have to make the trip over the border this August 7-9.

    What festivals on this list are you excited about?  What festivals would you include on this list that is not mentioned?  Sound off on the comments below.

  • Metal Monthly Fix: Top Ten Most Anticipated 2015 Metal/Hard Rock Releases

    With a month already into 2015, one of things to get excited about is upcoming album released we are expecting or hope to see the light of day. We expect big things from 2015 as far as heavy music, so without further ado, here are the top ten most anticipated metal/hard rock releases.

    10. Biohazard

    Brooklyn, NY hardcore metal outfit Biohazard is still as vital as ever, even with Evan Seinfeld out of the fold since 2012, which makes their yet to be titled tenth album, targeted for a 2015 release via Nuclear Blast USA, even more intriguing. This album would mark the first time with the lineup of Billy Graziadei, Bobby Hambel, Danny Schuler, and now Scott Roberts completing the lineup in place of Seinfeld. It will be interesting to see what this new line up of Biohazard brings to the table.

    9. Tremonti

    Back in 2012, Alter Bridge/Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti launched his solo project Tremonti with the debut album All I Was which was arguably one of the best albums of 2012. Now hard at work with the second album, Wolfgang Van Halen is officially a member of the band and playing bass for Tremonti.. Any lover of shred should be salivating at the thought of Mark Tremonti and Wolfgang Van Halen in the same band. This album will be solid.

    8. Mastodon

    What makes this release fascinating is Mastodon is always willing to take risks and making every album sound different which is why everyone should be excited for another Mastodon album.

    7. Deftones

    The last two albums from Deftones, Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokan, are easily some of their best work to date, so high expectations are set for this yet to be titled album slated for a fall 2015 release.  Also hope that someday their scrapped album Eros sees the light of day as well.

    6. Lamb Of God

    After all the things Randy Blythe and the rest of Lamb Of God went through with the trail and incarceration in Prague, you know that the band is coming back with a vengeance with this upcoming album. Blythe wrote a lot of music about his time in Prague, which is going to add such a compelling element to what will be the band’s eighth album. This makes Lamb of God one of the top ten most anticipated hard rock and metal releases of 2015

    5. Coal Chamber

    Set for an April release via Napalm Records, Coal Chamber’s comeback album is definitely the most interesting. After a much publicized split in 2002, it seemed highly unlikely Coal Chamber would ever get back together. Then a decade goes by, Coal Chamber reunited for select shows in Europe and Australia which led to a successful US tour in 2013 which ultimately set recording process for this album in motion. It’s amazing how frontman Dez Fafara has kept busy in the spotlight with DevilDriver, he still managed to bring Coal Chamber back in the spotlight. And to top it off, Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen is having a guest appearance on this album. It will be interesting to see how Coal Chamber will evolve its sound for 2015.

    4. Anthrax

    Anthrax set the world on fire back in 2011 with their comeback album Worship Music which saw the return of CNY’s Joey Belladonna back in the fold. Now after successful album sales, several laps around the world, the band has been hard at work with the next album which will be released sometime this year. If it’s even half as good as Worship Music was, this album can be and will be the best album of 2015. Expect nothing from great things from Anthrax.

    3. Black Sabbath

    This will be the last Black Sabbath album. Lots of bands always say “This is our last album/tour” but this time coming from Black Sabbath, who are all pushing 70, I would certainly say it’s a safe bet they mean it. Their comeback album 13, which saw Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler on an album together for the first time since 1978’s Never Say Die, was the most successful metal album of 2013. Iommi has been battling cancer but yet still touring with Sabbath, is still a riff machine and has solidified himself as one of the best guitarist that ever lived, said wants to bid farewell one last time with Sabbath with an album and farewell tour to follow. It would be nice to see the return of Bill Ward but that’s unlikely that will happen.

    2. Faith No More

    Already announced for a May release, Faith No More has made their long awaited return with their first album since 1997’s Album Of The Year and a US tour to kick off this spring including a headlining slot at Heavy Montreal, with more shows to be announced. 2015 is looking the year of Faith No More and fans around the world now wait in anticipation.

    1. Tool*

    I put an asterisk on this because this is the only album on this list where the band hasn’t made an official announcement. But I believe that 2015 is the year the new Tool album sees the light of day.  The band has been quoted stating that there IS an album in the works and they have been recording.  So we all ask….what the fuck is the hold up? The world needs another Tool album. It has been close to a decade since 10,000 Days and enough is enough.

    So that rounds off the list of the top ten most anticipated hard rock and metal releases of 2015. What metal or hard rock album on this list are you excited about? What upcoming album do you think should be included on this list? Sound off in the comments below.