The Donner Party ROCKS!

I am mega-behind on my blogging and probably won't be up to speed any time soon. However, I wanted to drop in for a quick ROCKS! post and pimp a band that was supposed to be in last week's Weekend Breakdown, but I couldn't find the time to get it all written.

But now that I have a bit of time here...

I love some killer crossover and when I find a band that can hit the ground running from the time I push "play", I get a bit giddy. So thank you to THE DONNER PARTY for the giddiness.

This New Jersey pummeling crossover powerhouse treat us to slabs of metal saturated hardcore punk that will - with loving aggression - put a boot up your ass.

The Donner Party feeds our hunger for thrashing speed and slams it with doses of mid-tempo mosh, bringing to mind hints of Gama Bomb, M.O.D., and Municipal Waste. However, T.D.P. are their own animal and offer up a fun listen of pit-stompin' political thrash. Kick ass!

Listen below and then hit them up on Facebook.

Thrashline: Bonded By Blood to record, New Overkill announced, Scornforger's metal tribute, and more!

In two weeks NWOTM big boys BONDED BY BLOOD will begin recording with their revamped line-up. As most of you know, this will be vocalist Mauro Gonzalez's first album with BBB, and I'm excited to hear him belt out the new tunes.

Ex-BBB vocalist Jose Barrales posted the following on the band's Facebook page:

"I honestly can't wait to hear this. Very intrigued and a little skeptical. I know Juan will sound ace, he's a very legit guitarist. I just need to hear everything together. With Jessie and Mauro being new, I'm sure it will bring a different vibe. I'm actually very, very intrigued on how the vocals will sound and what the lyrics are all about. Good luck."

I might be wrong, but Barrales sounds a little bit…doubtful?…regarding the news about a new BBB record. Terms like "intrigued" and "skeptical" don't sound encouraging and warm, but I don't blame him if that's the case. BBB was his baby for roughly 5 years and it probably isn't easy to see others pick up the flag and run with it.

However, it's cool that Barrales put in his two cents. Meanwhile, I'm eagerly awaiting to hear some tunes from his new band WORMHOLE!
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Thrash legends OVERKILL have named their next album The Electric Age, to be released on March 27th. I'm excited for this news because I have been on an Overkill bender this week, unable to vanquish what thirst I have for their brand of neck-snapping thrash metal.

The bonus is that the album will be out nearly a month before they trek on into my town on their Killfest tour. That'll afford me some quality time to lube up the old ears for some new tunes before hearing them live. That sounded gross.
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SHRAPNEL out of Norwich, England is now looking for a new bass player. Those interested should get in touch with the band through their Facebook page (where you can find all of Shrapnel's contact info).

If you have yet to hear the crushing power of Shrapnel, listen below and then buy their The Devastation to Come ep. Killer, bad-ass thrash metal.


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Polish metal heads HEADBANGER will begin recording their new album at the beginning of July. If you haven't heard these guys yet, get on the ball! I am addicted to their Nuclear Devastation ep. Listen below and then hit Headbanger up on Facebook.


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There is a new thrash blog on the block called GLOBAL THRASH ASSAULT. This blog provides quick, kick-ass reviews and commentary on all things thrash. It's amazing at the amount of material they put out in such a short amount of time. You can almost bet that you'll find new posts there every day (something I aspire to do one day when earth moves up to a 42 hour-a-day schedule).

Check out the Global Thrash Assault blog here and go "like" their HQ on Facebook.
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The Forward Into Battle Tour has added some new dates, including one in Kansas City on March 13th! In case you're in the dark about this tour, the line-up includes English Dogs, The Casualties, Toxic Holocaust, and Havok!!!

This is beginning to be a killer year in metal for me. This week is the Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel show. In March, I'll hit the Forward Into Battle Tour, and then in April…OVERKILL!

Yes, I am lucky.

If you're in the path of the English Dogs tour, mark your calendar. Check here for dates.
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Johnson, TN's master thrashers BACALOU are in search of a new vocalist. These guys jam some bad ass old-school influenced thrash metal. Interested parties can contact Bacalou through their Facebook page.

Meanwhile, check out one of their tunes below.



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Last bit I want to mention:

Check out this killer tribute to metal from the band SCORNFORGER! Cool video to a killer song. If you dig it, keep up with these guys on Facebook.

THRASH TILL YOU PUKE!!!!

Lenny Troo Frasher: Clones

Trauma Concept ROCKS!

We all know there are tons of killer metal bands out of New York, Massachusetts, and Texas. Especially Texas. There are so many killer bands down there flying the flag for metal that it seems you could throw a rock and randomly hit someone who is involved in writing music that would thoroughly kick your ass hard.

Anyway, the point is that a few metal musicians from each of the aforementioned regions came together to form…what else?…a bad-ass metal band!

Enter TRAUMA CONCEPT. This Texas/Massachusetts/New York band is a freakin' tornado of metal, twisting together the best parts of the thrash, death, and hints of hardcore to lay waste with a storm of thunderous power and vehemence. Sounds heavy, right?

Damn right.

Trauma Concept slaughters with dynamic speed and mid-tempo trade-offs, utilizing riffs that bring to mind bands such as Slayer, Sepultura, Fear Factory, and Pantera. Jesse Preston vocally weaves through the music with a fiery anger, baring the fangs of a classic deathrash frontman.

Check out the tunes below and then keep up with these guys on Facebook.

METAL!

Iron Reagan ROCKS!

Foresta and Landphil from Municipal Waste have found another outlet to kick our crusty asses with their new band Iron Reagan.

The music is stripped down to the bone, raging on the intensity of pummeling speed and searing vocals. Fans of blistering fast hardcore will find much to enjoy as they quickly devour the four available songs that slam the listener like a welcoming bat to the chops.

Foresta is truly giving hell with his killer vocal delivery, and at times he renders his well-known sound unrecognizable, offering up some powerhouse screams that bring to mind the likes of Daryl Taberski of Snapcase.

The bottom line is that Iron Reagan is an aggressively fun listen. If you have approximately five or so minutes to spare, check out the entire album below. Afterward hit them up on Bandcamp because the band was kind enough to offer a "name your price" to download!

New album from GAME OVER finally available!

Italian thrashers GAME OVER have finally released their new album For Humanity through My Graveyard Productions!

If you haven't heard Game Over yet, check out the taste of their new album below with the song Mountains of Madness (with no relation to Diamond Plate!). These guys crank out some killer old-school thrash.

Game Over offers a bunch of web links to help purchase the new album, but the best way would be contact the band directly through their Facebook page or hit up My Graveyard Productions here.

Weekend Breakdown: Extinction, Pretrash, and Citizen X

EXTINCTION
If you want beefy thunderous riffs with a mix of death and powerthrash vocals that sound as if a giant nuclear-mutated lizard is dancing the doom-stomp all over a busy metropolis, then check out the available song from Istanbul's own EXTINCTION.

The song, titled Embrace, begins with the must-have slow acoustic buildup to what eventually becomes a churning groove that could move mountains. That alone sold me on the band, but the mix of old-school death metal and epic powerthrash are perfectly blended to make some metal dripping with fist-shaking anguish.

Check out the tune below and then hit Extinction up on Facebook to demand they release more tracks!







PRETRASH
Man, I really dig the riffage from Germany's PRETRASH. These guys add enough to the music, including the vocals and dynamics, to keep things interesting. With their song Chamber Inside My Head, Pretrash clobbers the listener with a tight sounding mix of Bay Area thrash with big doses of old-school east coast stomp. Quality kick-ass metal!

Check out the tune below and check them out here and here.







CITIZEN X
Ohio's CITIZEN X cranks out old-school headbanging metal mixed with the stop-and-go mid-tempo riffage that many of the late 80s/early 90s thrash bands incorporated into their sound. Usually, bands that attempt this sound come off as a bit dated and tired, but Citizen X pulls it off, assembling a batch of killer metal songs that bring to mind mid-area Sacred Reich and Overkill. I love it!

Listen to the batch of songs below (one available as a FREE download) and then keep tabs on them here and here.

Tantara's debut to be released by Ultimhate Records!

In case you didn't know, TANTARA have a deal with Ultimhate Records to release the thrash band's highly anticipated debut album (title unknown as of this writing).

Ultimhate, home to another thrash band favorite ESSENCE, will release the album on March 23rd. As of this writing, I don't know if it will be released worldwide or not. I hope it is because I know many thrash fans who can't wait to get their sweaty little hands on this album - me included.

For me, this album closes the gap on a series of awesome days. March 22nd is my birthday. March 24th and 25th is the Kansas City Planet Comicon. March 26th is my wife's birthday. All that was missing was something cool to happen on March 23rd. Thanks, Tantara!

I really dig the new album single Trapped in Bodies, and I am ready for more!

TANTARA!!!

New HeadCrusher album available as pay-what-you-want download!

The mighty HeadCrusher has just released their new 7-song album Let the Blood Run for digital download on Bandcamp.

If you don't remember these guys, I raved about them a couple months ago here. Now HeadCrusher is back with a new release that is available for whatever you want to pay (beginning at $1). That's quite a deal. The money they make on fan "donations" will go directly to press physical CD copies of Let the Blood Run.

Check out the streams below, buy the album here, and if you haven't yet, Facebook them here.

Thrashline: Jungle Rot dates, Marauding Ghouls, New Legionary song, and more!!!

Cincinnati's BEYOND THE DIVIDE has just released a new video for the song Hate Needs a Face as a taste for their upcoming album Dead Man's Porn. This is a stomping' metal tune with a head banging ominous riff throughout. Damn heavy! The album will be available as a FREE download on January 17th. Check back with them on Facebook for details on snatching up the album.


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The anticipation for NY's LEGIONARY to finally release their album Arcane Divisions has hit another peak. The death metal masters have unleashed another song off the upcoming album. The song, titled Embracing Trauma, kicks ass with tight musicianship and a drummer that is nothing less than a freakin' machine! Check it out below and then keep your eye out here for the album release date.



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Germany's MORTAL INFINITY have released a couple new songs from their upcoming District Destruction release. I liked their already-available songs, but the new ones really kick ass - especially the tune Radical Response. It begins with a slow stomp and never lets up on the heaviness, moving into speedy verses and a chorus that is sure to work the mosh pit into a fury.

Check out this monster song below and if you haven't liked them on Facebook yet, here's your chance, pal.



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I am all for pimping JUNGLE ROT's upcoming tour dates in dream-hazed hopes that they will eventually hit the Kansas City area. For those of you in the path of this rolling juggernaut, get in front and let it crush you, you lucky bastard.

MARCH OF DEATH TOUR

w/DEICIDE, JUNGLE ROT, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, LECHEROUS NOCTURNE

3/01 - West Springfield, VA - Jaxx
3/02 - Reading, PA - Reverb
3/03 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
3/04 - Montreal, QUE - FouFounes
3/05 - Quebec City, QUE - Imperial de Quebec
3/06 - Toronto, ONT - Opera House
3/07 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
3/08 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody’s
3/09 - Detroit, MI - Blondie’s
3/10 - Chicago, IL - Reggie’s Rock Club
3/11 - Mankato, MN - The Whats Up Lounge
3/12 - Winnipeg, MB - The Osbourne Village Inn
3/13 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
3/14 - Edmonton, AL - Starlite
3/15 - Calgary, AL - Dickens
3/16 - Kelowna , BC - Rutland Centennial Hall
3/17 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
3/18 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
3/19 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
3/20 - San Francisco, CA - The Grand Ballroom
3/21 - West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues
3/22 - Flagstaff, AZ - The Orpheum Theater
3/23 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
3/24 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
3/26 - Dallas, TX - Trees
3/27 - Austin, TX - Emo’s Alternative Lounging
3/28 - New Orleans, LA - The Hangar
3/29 - Orlando, FL - The Club at Firestone

Headlining Dates

3/31 - Baltimore MD - Sonar
4/01 - Frederick, MD - Cafe 611
4/02 - Trenton, NJ - Championship Bar
4/03 - Albany, NY - Bogies
4/04 - Hampton Beach, NH - Wallys Pub
4/05 - Buffalo, NY - Broadway Joe's
4/06 - Portage, IN - Camelot Hall
4/07 - Crest Hill, IL - Bada Brew

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REDMIST DESTRUCTION's new album Nobility in Death is ready for your pre-order and will be shipped out on January 26th! The bonus: Free postage and it only costs £7 (or roughly $11 as of this writing). If you're interested, check it out here!


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Have you heard of the Czech Republic thrashers SIXTH DIMENSION? Well, now that you have and can't take it back, you may as well give their one available song a listen. The song, titled "Smrt za smrt" is a decent metal tune with plenty of head banging beats and a chorus that will force you to chant the song's title (as you wonder, what the f**k is a "SMRT?").

Check out the song below and then Facebook them here. SMRT!!!



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Now HERE is a killer band out of San Fernando Valley that will give your punk/metal lovin' ass a swift kick into the pit. MARAUDING GHOULS effortlessly blends bits of epic metal, speed, and balls-out rock with their onslaught of fist-flying old-school hardcore. Man, I love this kind of teeth-grinding aggression in my music. Bad. ASS.

Check them out below and hit them up on Facebook.






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Thrashmen LOST WORLD ORDER has released a trailer for their upcoming album titled Parasites. By the sound of this, February 24th can't come fast enough!