Thursday, September 29, 2011

Russian Metal Bands Playlist

Recently, the most hits that we here at NW MetalHead Productions have been getting from outside the United States has been from the other side of the world, Russia. While not a country on the forefront of the metal world, there are many diamonds in the proverbial rough. Being such a large country, the landscapes of the region can vastly differ from each other, bringing forth many different types of metal. Whether they are from the bustling big cities like Moscow or from the dreary depths of Siberia, metal is coming from all parts and is in all forms. Here are a select few that span the genres, from folk to doom to prog to black, it’s all here.
Arkona
Hieronymus Bosch
Abstract Spirit
The Sullen Route
Mactep aka Master
Alkonost

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Metal Festivals in the US

As the summer of 2011 comes to an end, we realize all of the fun we’ve had going to shows, buying new records, hanging out with friends and listening to tunes, and simply enjoying the sun. That is life in the United States in the summer. Life in Europe seems to be a little different because they don’t just get the chance to see a few big acts come through every once in a while, they get the chance to see festival after festival after festival. One of the biggest things I admire about Europe is they truly embrace metal and give fans the chance to see as many bands as possible in huge settings that are usually saved for pop acts. Hellfest, Wacken, Sonisphere, Reading, Download, MetalCamp, Damnation; these are just a few of the many festivals that people on that side of the blue marble get a chance to witness every year. In addition to the amazing experiences of seeing so many different bands, huge underground acts that reunite or rarely perform live generally save these festivals as their few chances to play. That is why I probably will never get the chance to see Bloodbath live, as they have only performed a handful of times and it always at European festivals. There is only one good festival in the US and that is Maryland Death Fest, but as a result of the huge distance across the United States, many people cannot afford to make the trip over there. And the rest of us are forced to deal with touring festivals, which are generally filled with talentless trend hoppers and just one or two decent bands (see 2011 Summer Slaughter). Those of us stuck up here in the Pacific Northwest might not ever get a chance to see one of the huge, underground metal festivals, and that is a complete shame. One day, we here at NW MetalHead Productions would love to put on a metal festival here in the great Northwest, one with huge touring acts and not just a couple local acts. However, I would love to put local acts in with the bigger acts in order to give them more exposure and show that our roots come from the local front. And there would need to be a variety of bands so that the audience doesn’t get bored. Whenever there is a show and 4 bands in a row sound exactly the same, the concert can get very tedious.  So here is one lineup we would love to have at our Northwest Metal Festival (official name tbd):
Gravenloch
Fueled By Fire
Carnal Forge
Ceremonial Castings
Melechesh
Municipal Waste
Grave
Nevermore
Hail of Bullets
Bloodbath

Saturday, September 3, 2011

NW MetalHead Productions Facebook Page

Don't forget, all my Facebook users out there, to Like our Facebook page. Its a great way to find out when we have new posts on the main site as well as get a chance to meet and interact with other fans out there. And once we get more people subscribed that way, more promotions and maybe even some give-aways or contests will begin. However, before any of that happens we need you all to connect with us. So go to the Facebook page, Like it, suggest it to friends, and take part in the fun!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/NW-MetalHead-Productions/175109482547455

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Exhumed - All Guts No Glory Review

Exhumed – All Guts, No Glory
I remember my days back in college when I didn’t know any better and tried downloading anything and everything under the sun. Anytime I even so much as heard a band’s name I typed in it the file sharing program that everyone on campus used and found as much music as I could ever imagine. I found a great deal of average one hit wonder bands, I found more than a few horrid bands, and I luckily discovered several bands I still love to this day. And on one magical day I came upon a band more intense and brutal than anything I had ever heard, one that truly sounded like a serial killer indiscriminately murdering entire neighborhoods of people. “Limb From Limb” by California based brutal beasts Exhumed was that intense song for this young listener. And ever since then I have been a big fan of their take on death metal and grind. After 8 years of waiting the world is finally bestowed a fresh batch of gory riffs and hellacious blast beats. Matt Harvey’s vokills (I hate using this term but there really is no other way to describe his voice) are as disgusting and throat rippingly brutal as ever. This album certainly does not disappoint.
Track number 7 entitled “I Rot Within” is one of the standout songs on the album. From the moment the song starts it is as vicious as anything I have ever heard. Harvey’s scream about 10 seconds into the track set forth a pace that many bands cannot even dream of keeping. When the dual vocals kick in, a certain sense of sickness is plagued upon the listener, one that mere mortals could never stand to listen to for more than a few moments. Soon after a blistering guitar solo entrances the audience into a state of bliss that is soon destroyed by more screams. All in all it is one brutal track that set the plane for the rest of the album. The first track the eponymous track and it is all instrumental, but not in a calm, showy fashion. It shows brutality from the get go. Track 2 “As Hammer to Anvil” keeps that feeling going and pushes it a little further. The lyrics showcase Exhumed’s love of gore and inhumaneness.  “I smash your brittle bones to powder/Screams crescendo ever louder/Your shattered torso now gone to bits/A puzzle of pieces that no longer fits.” The entire album continues in the same fashion with such hits as “Your Funeral My Feast,” “Necrotized,” and “So Let it be Rotten… So Let it be Done,” each song more intense and ferocious than the last. From beginning to end the band barely lets the listener breathe for more than a brief moment before inundating them with more blood soaked carnage. Put this one on whenever you really want to piss off your neighbors.