LP Review: "The GBG Sessions" by Hypnos

The GBG Sessions

McDonalds strives to make sure all of their food tastes the same no matter which store you go to, and they also strive to underpay their employees.

Well, that's not a bad idea, the same taste not the contributing to wage slavery bit....

But I prefer places that actually make their food rather than thawing and heating things up.

To that end, those restaurants are great. There's this Indian restaurant we go to and I always try to get something different. I know the general flavor of the dish, but not precisely what it's going to be.

The Sign Records is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to eat. Their menu isn't limited. They seem to be cooking up new meals and desserts constantly.

Video:"The Divide" by Trigger

Do you remember what life was like when cable and satellite television was a luxury? Apparently Trigger does!

For anyone under the age of 30...in those days you didn't have a squillion channels and streaming services. so you had to watch whatever was on the three major, two local, and one public station between the VHF and the UHF stations.

Sundays...you either watched Football or whatever movies were on. These guys have created a video that's reminiscent of so many of those terrible movies that we watched back in the day.

On the plus side, the song kind of kicks ass too. Trigger might just be worth putting onto your radar.

Tell them about your favorite movies on Facebook! Check out their katanas on Bandcamp.

LP Review: "Where All Hope Fades" by Ataraxy

Where All Hope Fades

As of this writing, it's nearly the middle of February and since the world has changed, all of our winters months have become largely the same in St. Louis.

They are cold, warm, hot, cold, warm, cold, cold, and grey.

It's usually around this time, after the Suberb Owls have flown, before baseball heats up, and when hockey is in its slumber that St. Louis finds itself here.

Where is here?

It's a place where there is very little. The people are staying inside of their homes. The bands are staying away.

The salt remains all over the ground and the trees still sport their barren look. It's the ugly underside of winter here. If we still got snow, it would be glorious. My daughter and I have only had a single snowball fight this year...

Video: "Declaration of War" by Crimena

It's time for a few minutes of a full on onslaught.There are times in this world when darkness wins and the best way to eradicate that darkness is with pure crushing heavy metal.

The band themselves has the following to say about the video. Here in America, we all know veterans who've returned home and sometimes left a part of themselves in the war.

"The video depitcs the stugles of a man haunted by the horrors of war and the reality he must face when he returns home. The video also has a deeper meaning, one that is in context with the rest of the songs on the upcoming EP and the entire ideea behind the said EP, but, unfortunatley at the moment we cannot disclose more On this video we collaborated with our friends Andrei Ursu and Mitel Corici, the same guys that did our previous two videos (Mutawwa and Gospel of the unbeliver) and were helped a lot by Airsoft Craiova and Wrath Inc. This is the first single that we release in the new lineup and it is just a teaser for the great stuff that is to come."

Check out Crimena on Facebook.

Video: "Overture 2112/The Temples of Syrinx" by Earth's Yellow Sun featuring Rody Walker

Rob Torkelson's Armada featuring Herman Menderchuk! 

Wait, sorry, this isn't a Kids in the Hall sketch, but this would be at least three times as Canadian. We have a prog rock band from Toronto covering a significant swath of Rush's seminal 2112.

It gets better they're all wearing Rush shirts and sending some gent on a quest who doesn't appear to even be in the band.

But there are in fact bearded wizards. Did I mention the horn section? I feel like I had to have mentioned the horn section.

Or was it just the wizards? I mean, how many videos are there with wizards hanging out and giving away Rush records?

Not enough.

Speaking of which, we need some of those wizards in St. Louis.... But in the mean time, check out these crazy people on Facebook.

Coffin Torture Isn't Iron Maiden

Coffin Torture

Well, we made contact again with the Russian  Hackers.

They were informed about the Iron Maiden/Necrosexual mixup. We were duly informed that that was all fake news and then all of a sudden about 15,000 Trump Twitter bots hit us hard and then followed us over to Instagram...

It was a bad scene, man.

To make it up to us, the Russian Trolls said they were going to get our interview.

I'm pretty sure this isn't Iron Maiden, but who am I to say...like hey this is Coffin Torture or something?

Video: "Parchment" by Andy's Room

Today's a day of calm and fortitude and green tea...lots and lots of green tea.

To that end, let's all meet up in Andy's Room for some Emotional California Bean Burritos.

Well, if they don't have any of them, at least you can download this song for free! Click their name for more information.

Rock on!

LP Review: "The Promise of Strangers" by The Fugitives

The Promise of Strangers

Well, it's mail bag time!

What arrived in the legitimate, snail paced, oft hated by President Trump, USPS?

Well, it's an album by a buttressed duo from...just give me a moment to check the PAPER press release, the internet, and everything else....

And well, honestly I have no idea where The Fugitives are from, but that's fairly poetic don't you think?

Listening through this album, the second time through is playing as this is typed, it's reminiscent of the old band this guy had back in the day. Our bassist and second guitarist had this idea of playing music and writing songs that were all in different styles.

Video: "Fortune Time" by Godless Truth

There are few genres of music that hail the almighty guitar riff than extreme metal. There are few countries in this world like The Czech Republic in terms of metal per capita.

One might say that Prague is rifftopia. That being said, I have no idea if Godless Truth hails from that particular beautiful city.

What we do know is that they're rising from the ashes and returning to the studio and stages worldwide. In the meantime, check out the video from a the upcoming release.

Tell them welcome back on Facebook and get your preorder on with Bandcamp.

Motherslug's Cameron Calls Bruce Dickinson 'The Other Guy'

Motherslug brought us a spectacular record last year. If you haven't done so yet, check out The Electric Dunes of Titan and go ahead and demand a vinyl release...because I know I need it.

That was their third album, but let's talk about Cameron. He's the one who's talking to us today and here's what he has to say about the music he digs....

1. The first album I ever owned was?

I used to have a paper round and every week when I got paid I would ride up to the record store at the end of the street and spend it all on music. 

I bought a lot of singles Soft Cell - Tainted Love was the first, Devil Went Down to Georgia, Billy Squiers were others that I remember (and still have) but the first album I bought was either Kiss Alive II or Devo Live, strangely both live albums but I can't remember which one was first.

LP Review: "Unholy Destruction" by HAMMR

Unholy Destruction

In hopes of becoming a fully qualified Black Metal Historian, Lords of Chaos is sitting on my bedside table. Thank you, St. Louis Public Library!

One of the things it has taught to me is that there was a blood hatred between Death Metal and Black Metal. At least that's what we're supposed to believe from Euronymous and Varg Vikernes.

My loyalties have always been on the Death Metal side and not the Black Metal side. Even without knowing that there was an East Coast/West Coast style beef between Oslo and Tampa Bay.

Interestingly enough I chose Death Metal with Kiss and King Diamond being huge favorites of mine. Seems wrong doesn't it? Kind of like how Clark The Canadian Hockey Goalie chose Shortstop and not Catcher.

Thankfully, there's been a truce in my blood. It was just about the Gateway Drug to allow the blackness to enter my soul. Last year, We were able to cover a spectacular Black Metal show featuring some Death Metal.

Video: "Pain Reprisal" by Genocide Pact

Genocide Pact has a new video... Their name reminds me of mutually assured destruction, but is destroying each other via nuclear weapons genocide?

It's something that hopefully we'll never be dissecting, but doesn't it sound pretty brutal?

Speaking of brutal...check out this heavy as hell video. It's thick and slow. Slow and heavy metal is oft overlooked.

Check out their latest record, Order of Torment, out on Relapse Records. In the mean time, ask Genocide Pact about their BPM on Facebook.

EP Review: "Starved and Hanging" by Eye of the Destroyer

Starved and Hanging

Eye of the Destroyer is a band who's racked up some pretty impressive numbers of followers on social media.

We've been online buddies for awhile now.

Finally, we have an opportunity to review some of their music. Their latest EP, Starved and Hanging, is getting a physical release which means, it's finally being birthed into the world as a real thing.

It's a bit of a shorty, but we're going to do our best to talk about it, shall we?

It's only four tracks and about eleven minutes long, but those eleven minutes are sheer brutality.

This EP starts off angry and stays that way the throughout the entire time. There's a touch of ambiance before the thumping...it's a nice little touch.

Video: "The Banished Heart" by Oceans of Slumber

These days, it's rare that we can take a simple moment and enjoy something nice and fairly drowsy. Oceans of Slumber...that seems like it'll be calm and easy.

This track is about ten minutes long, perfect for a cat nap, but, it's seeming that this song isn't slow as slow as it was when it started...

Well, let's see where this goes. You can preorder the album on all of your favorite formats HERE.

Interview: Monty from Galactic Cowboys Is Never Bored

Galactic Cowboys

After a 17 year hiatus, the Galactic Cowboys are back and they're hot on the heels of their reunion LP, Long Way Back To The Moon.

Recently Monty was able to stop by the Glacially Musical Orbiting Space Station, 2nd Moon of Jupiter, Hallway On The Left Hand Side of the Lunchroom on the second leg of his round trip on the way back home from the moon.

If you think a layover in Atlanta is bad...try one on Io.

GM: Talk me through how you guys decided to get it back together.

Monty: I actually got a call from my friend, Bill Evans, and he told me there might be a label interested in signing us. 

I'd worked with Bill in the past on some solo stuff, and so I knew he had some connections, and I told him I thought it sounded interesting.