Playlist: Patrick Duvall from Of The Sun Rocks Hard

Of The Sun are a group of groove metal future stalwarts.

Patrick Duvall was willing to take some time for us to show you the kind of music he's really into and what's helped shaped the sound of his band. From this point forward, all words are his.

DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - ONE OF US IS THE KILLER

Concert Review: Black Anvil, Inquisition and Mayhem at Metro in Chicago, January 23, 2017- photos and words by Danny Nichols

It was an epic night of black metal at Metro Chicago in the city's north side.

Black Anvil's Jeremy Sosville, Paul Delaney and Raeph Glicken

The bill started with New York's Black Anvil.  They stormed the stage like a biker gang from hell with their menacing presence, militaristic leather and ubiquitous tattoos.  Their sound reminded me of Children of Bodom, with vocals being mostly of the harsh traditional black metal variety with occasional interludes of clean vocals and discernible lyrics.

LP Review: "Slumbersong" by Sail

Slumbersong

Have you noticed the speeches and stories about my cooking for myself and my family?

It's my one avocation that really helps out my family as my wife isn't much on the cooking side. That is is why it's particularly annoying that our daughter prefers her simple dishes to my complex ones.....but anyway.

The only dish that I have personally created is my Tater-Tachos and it's a pretty easy thing. Deep fry frozen tater tots in vegetable oil and then pour on nacho trimmings, cheese, jalapenos, etc.

Mostly, what I have done is taken recipes given to me by others or stolen from bigger chefs and added my particular spin to them. Like consider Philly Cheese Steaks. Put some provel cheese in lieu of the provolone. Baste the inside of the hoagie roll with garlic butter. Bake your cheese steaks to crispy up the joint and bam.

Just try that stuff. You'll be Iron Cook in no time.

Vinyl Review: "Freedays" by Tall Tall Trees

Freedays

From the moment permanent settlements were established, in what Europeans called, The New World, we have been able to adapt and adjust to new surroundings, new challenges, and over the centuries, we as Americans have grown and prospered.

We're not going to discuss Roanoke or Croatoan OK? Because really, we all know that our forebears, well the people who would've been our forebears anyway, were kidnapped by the most ancient race of spacefaring villains...

The Romulans.

Yes, that's right, the Romulan Star Empire came to the Virginia Colony and kidnapped an entire settlement a full 500 years before what we will later know as First Contact.

Well...moving on.

Stream: "V1" by Adam TK

Swedish synth master Adam TK has a new album being released on 2/17 on Quiet Records.

Please check out the upcoming single, V1.

Enjoy!

LP Review: "Primordial Malignity" by Tomb Mold

Primordial Malignity

In the United States false adrenaline is big business.

There is a chain of Six Flags theme parks and hundreds of other theme parks around the United States.

Horror movies are everywhere, and we won't get into the pervasive creepiness of the American Horror Film genre....you know what I'm talking about.

Over the decades here, there's been a profound shift in the belief of the American Dream. We no longer  have the ability to raise a family on a factory job. We no longer have the time with our children we once did.

What does this do? It wears us down. So, we need to feel something. When we're feeling good though, there always seems to be something waiting around the corner or sneaking up on us from behind....

Stream:"Life Is No Way To Treat An Animal" by Czar

Tacoma, Washington's Czar has just released their record, Life Is No Way To Treat An Animal on Do It Yourself Records and it's available on Bandcamp. You can also check them out on the Facebook.

In a time when the world is fuzzy, let's fuzz out our brains and relax.

Interview: Shawn of Final Sign Finally Tells All

Final Sign

Final Sign is out there.

Certain, I'm not the only one who sees its writing on the walls or who fears what its messages portend?

Well, let's come to a simple conclusion. There is still a seedy underbelly of metal out there in the universe. Normally, it's spoken in hushed tones....Power Metal...

Shawn tells what he's so damned powerful....and more.

GM:Let's begin at the beginning. Tell me about the name of the group, Final Sign.

SP: The name is respectfully lifted from "Children Of The Sea" by Black Sabbath.

I thought it was a fitting tribute to the amazing Ronnie James Dio, of whom we in the band are all great fans, and it's a nod to the founding fathers of heavy metal itself.

I also thought it sounded pretty damn cool. Haha!

LP Review: "Stone and Skin" by Thera Roya

Stone and Skin

During the holidays, and as of this writing the following statement is still applicable, there are mountains of leftovers.

In my family, there was Christmas Eve which is attended by nearly one hundred people, New Year's Eve, and we even had a special Boxing Day fancy dinner...my good twitter followers saw how that shaped up.

During this time of year, the Post-Holidays as it were, there's all those leftovers.

From December 25th to today, the number of meals my family's eaten of holiday leftovers....well that number is incalculable. In fact, my lunch today consisted of beef brisket, ham, and turkey on a hoagie roll that I wrapped up into a single sandwich. All of those meats were from a holiday party.

So, in the chubby, post-holidays, we eat and eat...and continue to eat. It's also conceivable that we're eating something that's a bit of a pile up.

Artist Playlist: Sail

We are Sail, and we listen to a whole bunch of different music.

We've got a lot of love for sludge and post-rock - this shows in the music we create - but our individual tastes spread far and wide.

The four of us come from different musical backgrounds and we've all got different favourites; here's a quick selection.

 Deep Purple - Burn


[Charlie] The song that made me want to pick up a guitar all those years ago.

The riff is fantastically simple and to-the-point, a real earworm and powerful as all hell. Deep Purple have such a cool progressive vibe whilst still writing grade A songs and I was instantly hooked.

I still remember when I first heard the track and listening to it now gives me exactly the same feeling as it did back then - a very important song indeed.

Concert Photography: Clutch at Pop's in Sauget, IL October 16, 2015 -photos by Danny Nichols

Clutch rocks Pop's in Sauget, Illinois

Vocalist Neil Fallon

LP Review: Self-Titled by Eufobia

Eufobia

The re-introduction.

What was that ad campaign from back in the day.... there's never a second chance to make a first impression?

Well, with my ex-wife's parents, I did, in fact, have to make up for my first impression. It was something that took years and years.

These days though, as my wife's parents seem to like me a little bit and their willful, intelligent, and artistic granddaughter, it's easy to see why.

What about bands?

What can a band do to reach new heights and make new friends? There's always the Ace in the Hole, should you have not played it..the self titled album. Our new Bulgarian friends have chosen to self-title their third album.

Vinyl Review: "Into the Kingdom of Graves" by Tyrants Blood

Into the Kingdom of Graves

In one of the greatest movies of all time, Cary Elwes uttered this famous line:

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

This allusion has come up in my introductions before, but in the United States are are looking at something we have never seen before.

What has happened before is the division, the strife, and the protests. The lines are clearly drawn. Where we go from there is anyone's guess.

What I remind myself everyday is that Jimi Hendrix wrote his arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner while Richard M. Nixon held the White House and in the backdrop of The Vietnam War. I have total faith that the artistic community will have loads of inspiration in the coming years.

LP Review: "Cast The First Stone" by Hour of Penance

Cast The First Stone

Here in the United States, the sentence we have heard over and over is "This is not normal." Donald Trump, soon to be the 45th President of the United States is not normal.

Where we are headed over the course of the next four years is also not normal.

As we are weeks away from the very abnormal coming true, the thing I'm craving most of all is normalcy.

Beef Stew, Ramen, and Hot Dogs will be a large part of my upcoming diet.

One of the things we can count on to fuel a need for normalcy is death metal. Death metal is a monolithic force that's been carrying on for nearly thirty years now. The growls, the blast beats, and the ripping guitar solos. They are what fans of extreme metal, like myself, live for.

Stream: "The Weight of Gold" by Sail

Remember when we talked to Sail last week?

Here's a preview of their upcoming record, Slumbersong. Check out this track and let us know what you think about it.

We want to know your thoughts!

Interview: Scott and Nate of Junior Bruce

Junior Bruce

Junior Bruce has recently released their album, Endless Descent, on vinyl, CD, and digital.

Recently they took some time to chit chat and deal with my sill questions about nearly nothing.

GM: Stoner Metal is something that's overneath the underground or flirting around the edges. How did you first come across it?

SA: Two of my stoney cousins Chucky and Bobby introduced me to metal when I was just a little shit.

They would let me hang out with them while they smoked dirt weed joints and played Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden records. I suppose it was a natural progression from there.

NA: I usually like death'n'roll myself, but whatever we call it has a lot to do with the culmination of our influences. My previous projects, Asphalt and Vegan Butcher, we were always looking at getting heavier and more agro.

Artist Playlist: Arriver Shows Us The Metal

Disclaimer: as an "All-Time Favorites” list, this necessarily focuses on things I’ve been listening to for years, rather than newer music that has jumped out at me so don’t assume I checked out in 2008.

Also, this list is tailored toward the Heavy-Rock-Metal crowd, and criminally neglects John Fahey, Doc Watson, Bert Jansch, Steeleye Span, Songs: Ohia, the first Dire Straits album and loads of other classics that aren’t quite so bellicose.

Bad Brains “The Messengers” Quickness

I'll take Quickness over I Against I. Dr. Know’s best record, also Bad Brain’s best sounding record. 

Album Review: "Moonbathers" by Delain

Delain is a Dutch symphonic metal band which takes its name from a fictitious kingdom featured in my favorite Steven King novel.  They are highly regarded throughout Europe, have released five full length albums and two EPs, all but one of which have charted in several countries.  They also play amazing heavy music which fits neatly into the wheelhouse of what I want to hear.  Yet, until they announced a North American tour with my favorite band Hammerfall, they had almost completely escaped my attention.

This is a fine example of why I find it so frustrating when someone declares there is no good music coming out, or decrying the death of rock.  I try to keep up with new music, and by virtue of reviewing albums for this website, am daily bludgeoned with access to much of the best new metal. Yet, I still regularly miss some of the finest bands.  The problem is quite opposite of the rumors of rock's death, there is so much quality material, some of it gets lost in the shuffle.

Sill, this is only part of the problem.  The other part is I live in the United States, where symphonic metal seems to be tragically unappreciated.  I have a few theories on why this might be so, but I am not sure any of them are valid or supportable enough to see print.  Whatever the reason, it seems Nightwish, Lacuna Coil and Evanescence (whom I consider to be close enough to symphonic metal to bear mention here) are the only of these acts to have garnered significant attention stateside.

LP Review: "Battle Through Time" by Undrask

Battle Through Time

Lately my daughter has been obsessed with the Hotel Transylvania movies.

So, I've been seeing a great many "hilarious" takes on the classic monsters many of us grew up watching. Considering that she is not one to enjoy being scared yet, do you think she'd enjoy watching Frankenstein ransack a town of villagers?

Or see him being chased away by villagers with torches?

That leads me to thinking about Frankenstein, or as it should be said, Frankenstein's Monster.

How many bands in this day and age aren't just that? Well, really all of them are because you have, presumably, a few distinct personalities and styles that meld this whole song together and make it one.

LP Review: "Speak Not of the Laudanum Quandry" by Ashenspire

Speak Not of the Laudanum Quandry

My wife made the request that I read three pages of Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone while my daughter was getting ready to get into bed.

Story time has long been a part of our family life and my daughter requests all of the stories she can get. It's also quite common for her to be reading in the backseat of the car, on the couch in the upstairs lounge, and anywhere else she can get her hands on a book.

It would have been easy to sit down on her little bed and start reading the words as they're written on the pages.

Instead, dimension was added. Voices were created. As I stood while reading this book to my wife and daughter, I performed it. The look on their faces was quite enough to make me keep reading, but it's important to always do a little bit more when you're telling a story if you can.

LP Review: "The Tin Shed Two Piece" by The Two Percent

The Tin Shed Two Piece

It's time for a revelation so startling that all of my readers might go into sudden bouts of amnesia from which they may never recover.

It's fairly irresponsible of me to put this information out there, but the truth will set you free and possibly help you start a new life in Canada.

My life isn't all that glamorous.

This personal existence is so not all that glamorous that there are times when I have legitimate problems. My wife and I have spats. My kid doesn't always listen to our directions.

Sometimes there's not enough money in the check book at the end of the week. Often times, there are instances where my Amazon Prime orders don't arrive in two days like they're supposed to. (Note: There are also real problems in my life, but let's not get too personal ok?)

Interview: Sail Shares The Twinkly Bits

Sail is on the verge of releasing their "first" album next month.

Originally called Husk, this year they chose to make the always confusing change of their nom de plume. With their new direction, they felt it was time to set fire to the old building and then rise from the ashes.

Thankfully, we were given a bit of time and here's what happened.

Glacially Musical: Thank you for taking sometime for me today.

 Sail: No worries. Thanks for letting me blither in your general direction!

 GM: Let's just get it out of the way and tell me about the name change from Husk to Sail.

Album Review: "Ritualis Aeterna" by Malacoda

From the very beginning horror and heavy metal have been intrinsically linked.  In 1969 a young band from Birmingham, England called "Earth" had taken up rehearsal space across the street from a cinema.  They noticed the longest lines at the cinema were reserved for the horror movies and decided infusing the genre into their already heavy rock might distinguish their sound.  They also decided to change the name of their band to match the name of the Boris Karloff feature which was attracting such attention at the cinema, "Black Sabbath".  Heavy metal was born.

I have never been interested in horror movies, especially not the gory or violent type.  Still, there is no question, when it comes time to create a soundtrack for the macabre, the mix of horror and rock produces some of the most entertaining and enjoyable music to ever reach my ears.

Many, and it might be fair to say most, metal bands have followed in this proud tradition to some degree.  A few bands completely embrace the sub-genre of horror metal.  The second album from Canadian power metal masters Malacoda has earned a mention among the heavyweights.  

LP Review: "Reach For The Sky" by Solitude

Reach For The Sky

Driving home last night, I was listening to the Stuff You Missed In History Class Podcast.

The ever affable hosts were discussing The Piltdown Man. As an avid student of Antrhopology and Human Evolution ever since first seeing the chart of human evolution in National Geographic, this particular episode was of great interest to me.

This was the first time mine ears had heard the phrase, Piltdown Man.

It was a transitional hominid species discovered in Europe with a simian like mandible and human like brain case. Long has the idea of the transitional species fossils been a sticking point for science deniers.

It's as if they are saying, humanity has found every single fossil and species that has ever to have walked the earth, therefore as we don't have these transitional species today, they do not exist.

No one knows quite for sure why, but the Piltdown Man was a total fraud.

EP Review: "Reborn" by Sunterra

Reborn

As this review is being written, we are sitting in the waning hours of 2016 and the world is still reeling from the news that Carrie Fisher has died.

2016 has been a year of amazing highs and terrible lows.

But, as we must, we forge into the future with a grim determination that there isn't a damned thing in this whole world that's going to stop us!

Princess Leia taught us that.

I will simply beg your forgiveness today because it's hard to think of anything other than Princess/General Organa and the legacy left behind of a very strong woman who never quit. 2016 has taken its toll on us. Let's not forget that we can still fight, smash, and win.

Playlist: Vermilion Whiskey

Hailing from South Louisiana, Vermilion Whiskey is a working man's band, steeped in whiskey fueled Rock-N-Roll tradition.

Their musical roots run deep like river veins stretched across their beloved home state & beyond. VW lives for the thrill of the stage, no matter the crowd size, you will find 101 proof Vermilion Whiskey.

Where the good times roll, they can be found, sharing their own brand of hard-nosed rhythms with any and all who liVe to pass a good time! Long live the riff! (BIO)

Vermilion Whiskey have been kind enough to send me a YouTube Playlist of their personal influences.

Let's get it on!

Stream: "Via" by Derhead

Recently we reviewed the new EP, Via by Derhead, released on Polish label Via Nocturna.

Here's your chance to sample some of that music.

Check it out!

Purchase Via here.

LP Review: "Drude" by Drude

Drude

Living in St. Louis, we grow up under the shadow of Route 66. Of course, when I came of age, the interstate highway system was well into effect and the routes had gone the way of the dodo.

That doesn't stop all of the Route 66 this and Route 66 that. Along the Historic Route 66, those signs are everywhere. They've become so ubiquitous for me, that they're no longer on my radar.

Recently, the History Museum (Free to enter) in Forest Park (50% larger than Central Park) had an exhibit on the old Route 66.

It actually was a little bit depressing because the Route System was much better for travelling for someone like me. Flying is terrible and road trips are the way to go.

But, when driving I-55 to go to Chicago or I-70 to get to Indianapolis, all we see large signs, rest areas, and gas stations with Fast Food restaurants attached. There's no local color. We are arriving to our destination too quickly.

Stream: "Uprise" by Uprising

The newly revamped TRIDROID RECORDS will release the self-titled debut album by the black metal entity known as UPRISING on January 6 2016. There is no bio information and none will be given if requested. 

The band solely wants to be known for their music and nothing else.

Interview: "The Godfather of Buzzsaw" Tomas Skogsberg of Sunlight Studio by Danny Nichols

Death Metal may have been birthed in England and California and popularized in Florida, but a case can be made for it having been perfected in Sweden.  

Many of the most influential bands of the genre (Dismember, Entombed, Grave, Treblinka, Carbonized, Carnage, Grotesque, Therion, Afflicted, Dark Throne, Cemetery, Refused, At the Gates, Katatonia, to name just a few), not only got their start in Sweden, but recorded at the same studio under the guidance of the same producer/recorder; Tomas Skogsberg of Sunlight Studio in Stockholm.  

Skogsberg, while working with Entombed on their debut album, Left Hand Path in 1989, innovated the sound of the buzzsaw guitar, which has become a staple of the genre ever since.  This essential sound has come to be referred to as the Sunlight Studio Tone.

It was an honor to be able to interview the Godfather of the Buzzsaw, or as another publication once described him the “Uber-god of Death Metal”, Tomas Skogsberg.

Danny at Glacially Musical: What were your musical tastes and musical influences prior to establishing Sunlight Studio? What bands were you listening to before becoming a part of the industry yourself?

Tomas Skogsberg: Black Sabbath,The Beatles,Yes

GM: Are there any producers or sound engineers whom you consider to be a particular influence?

TS: Rick Rubin,George Martin,Trevor Horn

GM: How did you learn the business and process of music recording?

TS: I learn myself, and watching and listening to the masters.

GM: How did the establishment of Sunlight Studio come about?

TS: I was tired of hearing that it could not proceed with things in the studio because of a tired sound engineer.

Interview: Dan Sullivan of Arriver

Ariver

On December 2nd, Chicago based progressive blackened death metal band, Arriver released their album Emeritus on Scioto Records.

Recently, Dan Sullivan took some time out of his schedule to field some questions from us. 

GM: How did you guys get started as Arriver? 

Dan Sullivan:The birth of ARRIVER was an inevitability, a connecting of dots, finding ourselves back at a place where we were born as musicians and brothers. 

When the band was formed in 2005 we had already spent over a decade playing together in other incarnations and configurations, only some of which could be classified as Metal.

Vinyl Review: "III: Metachthonia" by Thrawsunblat

III: Metachthonia

Sometimes it takes a little while to make the right decision.

My journey into vinyl country, as it were, was years late. In the middle 90's when CDs were still the rage, an attempt was made to hear the difference between CDs and LPs, but all that was heard was a terribly scratchy copy of Alive! by Kiss.

I wasn't much of a Kiss fan then. That was in the beginning of my Kiss reawakening. Up until that point, mostly I was familiar with their latter days output and was still really digging on Revenge.

Well over a decade later, at a Crobot concert, I accidentally purchased their debut EP on clear vinyl. Not much later I was given a turntable of my own, which I'm listening to III: Metachthonia on right now. Then as time wore on, it occurred that it was time to give vinyl a serious try. At the time, it was only to make the music I purchased more important.

Now,  I'm full on reborn into the community. Since the switch was made, I've only purchased two CDs and I have no idea how many records. Much like my tardiness into vinyl, the latest Thrawsunblat record tarried as well.