Entertainment Earth

8/17/2023

Revocation to Commence North American Co-Headlining Tour with Unearth this Fall- Tickets Now Available!

  3:19 PM            No comments
Photo by Alex Morgan

Progressive death metal outfit REVOCATION will join Unearth for a North American co-headlining tour this Fall! The journey, which begins on September 29th in Brooklyn, New York, makes its way through nearly two dozen cities, coming to a close on October 20th in Ottawa, Ontario. Support will be provided by High Command and labelmates, Entheos. Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.
 
REVOCATION w/ Unearth, Entheos, High Command:
9/29/2023 St. Vitus Bar - Brooklyn, NY
9/30/2023 Lovecraft's - Mechanicsburg, PA
10/01/2023 Frankie's - Toledo, OH
10/02/2023 Reggie's - Chicago, IL
10/03/2023 Pops - Sauget, IL
10/04/2023 Eastside Bowl - Nashville, TN
10/06/2023 Conduit - Orlando, FL
10/07/2023 Orpheum - Tampa, FL
10/08/2023 Respectables - West Palm, FL
10/09/2023 Music Farm - Charleston, SC
10/10/2023 Hangar 18 - Greensboro, NC
10/11/2023 Canal Club - Richmond, VA
10/12/2023 Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
10/13/2023 Preserving Upstairs - Pittsburgh, PA
10/14/2023 The Pit At The L - Horsehead, NE
10/15/2023 Wally's - Hampton Beach, NH
10/16/2023 La Source De la Martiner - Quebec City, QC
10/17/2023 Fairmount Theatre - Montreal, ON
10/18/2023 The Queen Barrie - Barrie, ON
10/19/2023 Velvet Underground - Toronto, ON
10/20/2023 The Brass Monkey - Ottawa, ON
 
REVOCATION released their latest full-length, Netherheaven, last September via Metal Blade Records. Four years in the making, the Billboard-charting trio – Dave Davidson (vocals/guitars), Ash Pearson (drums), and Brett Bamberger (bass) – meticulously explore the allegorical and literal aspects of Hell as they dig deeper into the darker, more diabolical side of death metal. In short, where the previous album, The Outer Ones (2018), jettisoned REVOCATION into the horrific maw of the cosmos, Netherheaven bores deftly through the nine rings of Hell to directly confront Lucifer and his multitudinous faces.

Preview and purchase Netherheaven at metalblade.com/revocation.
 
“In a genre where every band wants to tease their newest album as their ‘most heavy,’ Netherheaven finds REVOCATION doubling down on their most ferocious elements. The band achieved impressive levels of power after recording as a three-piece for the first time in thirteen years, while maintaining their tech-metal prestige.” – Metal Injection
 
“…the progressive death metal trio’s darkest and most sinister album yet. This thrilling effort pulls no punches and has no weak spots.” – MetalSucks
 
“Netherheaven is flawless in execution and doesn’t even come close to becoming remotely predictable. The Outer Ones ventured deeper into the realms of death metal but this release has undoubtedly perfected their approach.” – Distorted Sound


12/26/2022

The 20 Best Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 2022

  2:11 PM            No comments

Another great year of hard and heavy music is passing us by. With things finally getting to "normal" bands were actually able to tour and support their releases. As is usually the case, you'll see some classic bands ranked alongside of newer ones. So let's not waste any more and get to the list.

Honorable Mentions:
Dark Funeral- We Are the Apocalypse
Slipknot- The End, So Far
Kreator- Hate Uber Alles
Bad Omens- The Death of Peace of Mind

20. Meshuggah- Immutable- Tons of bands try to be like them, but hardly any can touch the shear crushing heaviness that Meshuggah deliver. Something they continue on this devastating album. 

19. Castrator- Defiled in Oblivion- The best new death metal band of the year has to go to this brutal and uncompromising all female act from New York. It kinda sucks that no one is talking about them, cause they need to be! One of the most underrated releases of the year, I probably listened to it more times than many established and more discussed death metal releases.
 

18. Shadow of Intent- Elegy- This has been a great year for deathcore, and one of the finest albums released is this mix of brutality, groove, and melody. It definitely defines Shadow of Intent as one of sub-genre's finest bands.

17. Ibaraki- Roshomon- Perhaps the year's most exciting and singularly identifiable releases is this long awaited side project by Trivium's Matt Heafy. Featuring appearances by Ishahn, Nergal of Behemoth, and Gerard Way of fucking My Chemical Romance this is an amazing mix of metalcore, black, and progressive metal. Also, "Ronin" is one of the year's best singles!

16. Dream Widow- Dream Widow- A death/ thrash/ groove metal album by Foo Fighters for their horror flick Studio 666, this might be the most year's most pleasant surprise. It's also heartbreaking to think that this the last recording to feature the late, great Taylor Hawkins.

15. The Warning- Error- The Warning is a group comprised of three sisters from Mexico, who gained popularity via playing Rock Band on YouTube and covering Metallica's "Enter Sandman" (which the band, themselves, loved). This is their make label debut LP and might just be the best one of the year. It's catchy, driving, and rocking played by three immensely talented, young ladies. Some of my favorite songs of the year are actually on here!

14. Infected Rain- Ecdysis- Mixing elements of metalcore, nu-metal, death metal and groove metal, this band from Moldova have been around for some time, but this is their finest release yet. Effortlessly catchy, groove filled, and heavy you'll wanna bang your head, mosh, and sing along to it. Frontwoman Lena Scissorhands has certified herself as one of my favorite singers. She has a great scream and a beautiful melodic voice. Ecdysis has some great songs with choruses that will stick in your head with just one listen. "Longing" is particularly awesome in that department! She even teams up with Heidi Shepard of Butcher Babies on the kick ass "The Realm of Chaos".

13. Fit for an Autopsy- Oh What the Future Holds- Fit for an Autopsy continue to deliver amazing album, after amazing album. But, this time they may have outdone themselves. Not only is this their best record yet, which is no mean feat, but one that will go down as a future deathcore classic. In a year with many great releases in this style of music, Oh What Future Holds stands as the finest one.

10. Megadeth- The Sick, the Dying... And the Dead!- In my humble opinion, this is Megadeth's best work since Endgame. This is especially true in terms of being a record I want to go back and listen to. Dystopia was quite good, but I rarely go back to it. Don't even get me started on utter shit like Thirteen and Super Collider. This album though, with a very timely title, is fast and angry. And, I actually want to and do go back to it, quite often, even. It stands as hands down the best thrash metal release by an old school band of this year. Plus, Mustaine teamed up with Ice motherfucking T on the awesome track "Night Stalkers"!


11. Goatwhore- Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven- One of my favorite bands, Goatwhore, show no sign of slowing down. In fact, their latest is fast, merciless, and evil, and yet they manage to once again write great hooks. This one will make your head fall right off from you banging it so fucking hard!

10. Watain- The Agony and the Ecstasy of Watain- My personal favorite black metal band are back with what is the best album of this subgenre that I have from this year. It's fast and evil with highly memorable tracks that latch on to you with one listening. Songs like "Serimosa" and "Black Cunt" are among the best extreme metal songs of 2022.

9. Dorothy- Gifts from the Holy Ghost- I first heard Dorothy when I caught her opening up for Halestorm a couple of years back. I was immediately caught by her amazing voice and hard rocking tunes. But, it wasn't till this ass kicker that I truly became a fan. One of the finest hard rock albums of the entire year, it features catchy and rocking tracks fronted by one of the best vocalists in the genre in the form of Dorothy Martin. Songs and lyrics trade between the inspiring and fun ("A Beautiful Life"), the fun, anthemic, and hard ("Black Sheep"), to the sexy and hard rocking ("Hurricane"). In fact, according to Spotify, Dorothy was my most listened artist this year with the absolutely amazing and dark "Rest in Peace" being my most listened to song. Which makes sense, cause it might just be the best single of 2022!

8. Lamb of God- Omens- Some of the more established acts like Slipknot and, more so, Machine Head and Rammstein, delivered either good or adequate enough releases, but nothing to call home about. However, Lamb of God truly delivered the fucking goods. Crunching and adrenaline charged, this release gets my vote for the record to kick ass to. It is certainly my favorite workout album of the year. Plus, "Omens" gets my vote for the best title track of 2022, or at the very least the one with my favorite chorus.

7. Venom Prison- Erebos- Welsh band Venom Prison have been doing the death metal since at least 2015. But, with Erebos, they have given us what I predict will be become their future classic. Featuring incredible musicianship and one of the best vocal performances in extreme metal in 2022, in the form of Larissa Stupar, this release stands as an absolute skull crusher. 

6. Municipal Waste- Electrified Brain- My pick for best, and definitely my most listened to, thrash metal album of 2022 is the latest from these crossover kings. It's fast as fuck and immensely fun to rock out to. Honestly, I think it is thier very best since their genre classic The Art of Partying.

5. Bloodhunter- Knowledge Was the Price- My pick for THE most severely underrated album of the year is this release from Spanish these meldo-death masters. Fronted by Diva Satanica, who also fronts one of my favorite bands in Nervosa, this is one of the most addictive extreme releases of 2022. But, with killer songs like "Sharpened Tongues Spitting Venom Inside", the title track, and "Medea's Guidance", how can it not be? Seriously, you guys are sleeping on this one! Get with the program and listen to it right now!
 

4. Halestorm- Back from the Dead- The best hard rock band of the modern era delivers, not surprisingly, the best hard rock record of 2022. Anthemic, catchy, badass, and enpowering, Lzzy and her bandmates give us ass kicking song after ass kicking song. From the title track to "Strange Girl" and pretty much every other song on here, give us tracks to sing along to and rock the fuck out!

3. Corpsegrinder- Corpsegrinder- From the moment I first heard this, the first from the solo project of the Cannibal Corpse vocalist, this was a strong contender for record of the year. In fact, it would've been had it not been for the next two coming in later in 2022. Regardless, this remains a badass and crushing record with fun and wonderfully violent lyrics. It also has one of the best (if not in fact THE best) and most awesome album covers of the year.

2. Bloodbath- Survival of the Sickest- As you can see death metal rules the top three positions of this list. And, this one came damn fucking close at topping it. In fact, if you say it does, I wouldn't disagree. Anyway, the point is this sick and devastating extreme metal from one of the true lords (I mean they are a supergroup that actually works awesomely) of this style. How can you not love heartwarming tracks like "Putrefying Corpse" (with Barney Greenway of Napalm Death, no less!), "Malignant Maggot Therapy", and "No God Before Me"?! Also, "Zombie Inferno" is one of the best album openers of 2022.

1. Revocation- Netherheaven- And, the year's very best release comes from a band that has become one of my favorites in the extreme metal landscape. Complex, brutal, and evil, Netherheaven continues to prove that Revocation are worthy of all the praise that they get. Which is great cause this was one of my most anticipated records of 2022, and it more than lived up to my expectations. 


What were your favorite hard rock and metal releases? Let me know in the comments section below? Also, let me know if there is anything you are looking forward to next year. 

Also also, want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! Finally, I wanna thank you for your continued support. These last two years have been very hard for me, thanks in large part to the passing of my doggy Zoey. As such, I am sorry for me making less often posts. Hopefully, 2023 will be better in all departments, for all of us.

11/02/2022

Death Metal Legends Morbid Angel Announce 40th Anniversary Headlining Tour for Spring 2023!

  5:22 PM            No comments
Photo by Chris Casella

Legendary death metal icons MORBID ANGEL will celebrate their 40th anniversary this Spring with a month-long US headlining tour! The United States Tour Of Terror 2023 will commence on March 15th in Pensacola, Florida and run through April 22nd in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Support will be provided by Revocation and Crypta as well as Skeletal Remains from the March 15th through April 4th and Vitriol from April 6th through the tour’s conclusion.
 
Comments MORBID ANGEL’s Trey Azagthoth “We are stoked about this new tour with all these cool bands! We will see you all on the road."
 
Tickets are on sale Friday, November 4th at 10:00am local time. See all confirmed dates below.
 
MORBID ANGEL w/ Revocation, Crypta, Skeletal Remains:
3/15/2023 Vinyl - Pensacola, FL
3/17/2023 Rise - Houston, TX
3/18/2023 Amplified Live - Dallas, TX
3/19/2023 Come And Take It Live - Austin, TX
3/21/2023 Marquee Theater - Tempe, AZ
3/23/2023 Virginia Street Brewhouse - Reno, NV
3/24/2023 Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
3/25/2023 Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
3/26/2023 The Regent - Los Angeles, CA
3/28/2023 Oriental Theater - Denver, CO
3/30/2023 The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
3/31/2023 Apollo Theater - Belvidere, IL
4/01/2023 The Forge - Joliet, IL
4/02/2023 The Art Theater - Hobart, IN
4/04/2023 Piere's - Ft Wayne, IN
w/ Revocation, Crypta, Vitriol:
4/06/2023 Machine Shop - Flint, MI
4/07/2023 Riverfront Live - Cincinnati, OH
4/08/2023 The King Of Clubs - Columbus, OH
4/09/2023 Jergel's - Pittsburgh, PA
4/11/2023 Gramercy Theater - New York, NY
4/12/2023 Warehouse On Watts - Philadelphia, PA
4/14/2023 Empire Live - Albany, NY
4/15/2023 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
4/16/2023 Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
4/18/2023 The Concourse - Knoxville, TN
4/19/2023 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
4/21/2023 Orpheum - Tampa, FL
4/22/2023 Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
 
MORBID ANGEL released their Kingdoms Disdained full-length in 2017 via Silver Lining Music. The critically adored offering reunites founding guitarist Trey Azagthoth with bassist/vocalist Steve Tucker. Captured at Mana Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida and produced by MORBID ANGEL with Erik Rutan, the record delivers eleven pieces of devastatingly dynamic death metal. Rolling Stone hailed a, “cyclone of blastbeat-driven fury punctuated with Azagthoth’s signature heaving, lunging grooves and Eddie Van Halen–on-a-bad-trip solos,” while Metal Injection crowned the record, “one of the band’s most essential efforts,” adding, “the record contains almost wall to wall instant classics, and is not only Steve Tucker’s best album as MORBID ANGEL frontman, but by extension the group’s most genre-defining effort since 1995’s iconic Domination.”
 
Orders for Kingdoms Disdained are available at THIS LOCATION.
 
“Featuring Trey Azagthoth’s molten solos, the band rediscover what they did well across their career and double down on it.” – Pitchfork
 
“…a cyclone of blastbeat-driven fury punctuated with Azagthoth’s signature heaving, lunging grooves and Eddie Van Halen–on-a-bad-trip solos…” – Rolling Stone
 
“…one of the band’s most essential efforts… the record contains almost wall to wall instant classics and is not only Steve Tucker’s best album as MORBID ANGEL frontman, but by extension the group’s most genre-defining effort since 1995’s iconic Domination.” – Metal Injection
 
“MORBID ANGEL‘s ability to manipulate sounds such that it seems it’s about to collapse and combust without ever doing so is nothing short of brilliant. For the devoted, it seems like magic…. Just incredible.” – Blabbermouth
 

1/02/2019

The 20 Best Metal & Hard Rock Albums of 2018

  5:00 PM            No comments
First off, Happy New Year's! Here is hoping 2019 brings us lots of good and awesome things, especially in this case, lots of killer metal and hard rock!

Which is something 2018 definitely did, both from legends and younger bands. As this list will show, it was a great year for death and black metal, as music on the heavier side is highly present. Anywho, let us not waste anymore time and get to the motherfucking headbanging tunes!

Honorable Mentions
Gruesome- Twisted Prayers
Diamante- Coming in Hot
Skinless- Savagery
Nocturnal Graves- Titan

20. Lucifer- Lucifer II- If you love 70s influenced hard rock and metal, boy do I have an album for you. Mixing doom metal elements with a hard rock hooks and the beautiful and ethereal voice of the lovely Sardonis, Lucifer sound almost like a female Dio-era Sabbath, albeit with a slightly more rock sound. Songs like "Dreamer" and "Phoenix" are among some of the coolest rock songs you were likely to hear last year.

19. Torture Squad- Far Beyond Existence- Torture Squad deliver awesome, grooven laden thrash/ death metal on this thier first album with signer Mayra "Unread" Puertas. My full review: https://www.themastergio.com/2018/02/torture-squad-far-beyond-existence.html


18. Terrorizer- Caustic Attack- The best grindcore release of the year, comes from one of the masters of the sub-genre. My full review: https://www.themastergio.com/2018/10/terrorizer-caustic-attack-album-review.html 

17. Terror- Total Retaliation- Groove filled, badass hardcore with metallic riffage, Terror's Total Retalliation was as a badass a release as you were likely to hear last year. An absolute banger of a beatdown this shit will drive even the dead to get up and jump into the pit! It really ranks among the finest Terror albums, and is my pick for the best hardcore album of 2018.

16. At The Gates- To Drink from the Night Itself- A solid effort from the originators of melod-death metal, this isn't on the level of the greatness their previous effort, At War with Reality was. But, it is, nonetheless, a thrashy riff filled slab of music that blows away a great amount of other more boring melodic death metal acts.


  

15. Jungle Rot- Jungle Rot- Death metal fast and groove filled, just the way I like it! My full review: https://www.themastergio.com/2018/07/jungle-rot-jungle-album-review.html


14. Bad Wolves- Disobey- The best debut of 2018 was this catchy and badass anaglam of groove metal, metalcore, and hard rock. Some of the year's most memorable and best songs to sing along can be found here, including winners like "Run for Your Life", "No Masters", and the monstrous"Learn to Live". It also has last year's most popular cover in the form of the killer Cranberries song "Zombie".


13. Behomoth- I Loved You at Your Darkest- Like the latest from At The Gates, this Behemoth album sees a band following up a masterpiece. In this case, this actually follows the band's greatest release, The Satanist, an album I picked as the best of 2014 (a year where said At The Gates album was ranked as well). Still, even though not as great as that modern masterpiece of theirs, this still a dark and demonic assault. Heavy and haunting when it is on, this fucker is filled with thunderous, hell-spawned killers like "God = Dog" (silly title or not), "Eccelesia Diabolica Catholica", and "If Crucifixion Was not Enough".


12. Light The Torch- Revival- I am gonna put this out there. This is the best album that Howard Jones has recorded since leaving Killswitch Engage. His voice sounds amazing and the music is driving and heavy yet melodic and catchy. It also has one of my favorite and most played songs of 2018 in the form of the soaring and killer "Die Alone".


11. Revocation- The Outer Ones- Talk about a grower of an album. Each listening of this complex, technically eviscerating death metal monster gets better. Each and every song gets more exciting as you hear more layers. Somehow, through the brutality there is this oddly listenable hook in the tracks that set it apart from bands who add a shit ton of tech into their death metal. It also bears mentioning that the cover, seemingly inspired by Lovecraftian horrors, is one of my favorites of the year.

  

10. Amarathe- Helix- This is without question one of the most fun albums of 2018. It so perfectly captures the bands various influences. Mixing pop, metalcore, death metal, and, of course, symphonic metal, they sound like no other band. Great to sing along and headbang Helix is one of the listenable, yet utterly kick ass album that you likely to hear to feature multiple signers.


9.  Monuments- Phronesis- Speaking of catchy and heavy, few bands do that as well as Monuments. And, even fewer albums released in 2018 mixed that seamlessly and impressive as this rolling and hook-filled, metallic rocker. While, d'jent might be over crowded by more and more clones of lesser quality, Monuments remain heads and shoulders above most of them. Their signer Chris Barretto has one of my favorite in modern metal. Songs like "Mirror Image","Ivory", and "Stygian Blue" really best sum up why this is the case. He has so much soul and anger that it is perfect for this progressive metal act.


8. Immortal- Northern Chaos Gods- Immortal are back motherfuckers! It had been nine years since the band's last album, and since then Abbath had left to form his own solo band. Demonaz has now picked up vocal duties. And, any doubt that this wouldn't work gets thrown out with just seconds of listening to the first song on the album, which also happens to be the title track. Featuring a thunderous and cold sound that is perfectly captured on the mix, one that is both low-fi and clearly produced. This destroyer feels like a blizzard that will decimate everything in its fucking site!


7. Bleeding Through- Love Will Kill Us All- 2018 saw the return of many other of my favorites, including Bleeding Through, my all time favorite metalcore act. The last album they had put out was what the dark and face melting Declaration, which might have until that point been their finest work. With this comeback they manage to challenge that album. At times driving and heavy and at others melodic and haunting (many times in the same song) Love Will Kill Us All blew me away. It is always scary when one of the bands one loves comes back after many years of being away, but thank the dark gods Bleeding Through more than delivered the pain filled goods.

6. Halestorm- Vicious- Any year where Halestorm puts out an album is one that makes me a very happy rocker. One of my personal favorite rock bands, they have a very special place in my heart. I don't think they ever put out a stinker and always remains true to their sound. Vicious is no different. It is not only the absolute finest hard rock record of 2018, but it even tops their last release, Into the Wildlife. The title is also very appropriate because when it decides to rock hard, it fucking rips. As always the lovely Lzzy Hale signs her ass off and tracks like "Black Vultures", "Skulls", and "Do Not Disturbed" are among my most played of last year.

5. River of Nihil- Where Owls Know My Name- Call this the surprise album of 2018. Rivers of Nihil, the seemingly eternal opening act, have created an album that is as great, if not better, than the bands they have opened for. The critical acclaim and fan love for this fucker has been huge, and it is with great reason. Where Owls Know My Name blew me the fuck away, and does every time I listen to it. The album has, unquestionably, made Rivers of Nihil headliners. It is a a complete masterpiece with spacious sounds (including some use of a fucking saxophone!!) that adds to the complexity of the music and progieness of it all. The record is heavy and crushing, yet also accessible and approachable without sacrificing the death metal aesthetics, And, as proven by their music video below, they don't take themselves too seriously and know how to have some fun. It makes the music even more likable. 

4. Judas Priest- Firepower- If I had to pick an album that far blew me away far more than I thought it would, then it would be this barn-burner from the metal gods, Judas Priest, themselves. I honestly had thought the last couple of albums from them were OK but wholly forgettable. Firepower, though, is Judas Priest's finest work since Painkiller. And, I mean that in every sense of the word. In fact, I think that it ranks right up there with the best in the band's historical discography. Songs like "Lightning Strikes', "Evil Never Dies", and "Necromancer" are full throttle  killers. Hands down the best pure metal release of 2018.



3. Watain- Trident Wolf Eclipse- Far less experimental than the awesome The Wild Hunt, Trident Wolf Eclipse is more straight forward sounding, classic black metal sounding. And, in some ways it is for the better for that, because while I loved that aforemntioned album, I think this is a better release. Break neck paced and gloriously evil, this is truly savage and righteously Satanic metal. I have been listening to this record since the week it came out and haven't stopped. In my humble opinion it is the best black metal of 2018.
2. Light This City- Terminal Bloom- I pretty screamed in joy when I heard that Light This City would return. And, while I knew they always deliver the goods, I didn't think they would give this near perfect a masterpiece. My full review: https://www.themastergio.com/2018/05/light-this-city-terminal-bloom-album.html

1. Aborted- TerrorVision- Taking the spot is this brutal and eviscerating album. A vicious and merciless release, Aborted have made the best album, thus far of their career, which is saying a lot if you ask me, Shredding riffs, pummeling blast beats, and brutal grooves are accompanied by anger filled guttural vocals and gore drenched lyrics. This fucker blew me right through my office, the first time I heard. It continues to do so every time I hear it. Songs like the title track, "Farewell to the Flesh", and "Deep Red" are among the most savage and ripping tracks you and your soon to be broken neck (from headbanging so fucking hard) were likely to hear. Yet, they are not above slowing shit down and, yet still, mixing it with blast-bearts for a song like "Vespertine Decay" (below) and pummel you straight to fucking hell. As good as modern day death metal can get, this was 2018's soundtrack to pure sonic butchery. Oh, and the horror filled album cover absolutely fucking rules!
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