I never shy away from a killer groove when it works in a song. In my book, bands that can do almost no wrong when it comes to the chugging stomp riffage would be Obituary, Pro-Pain, and the mighty Jungle Rot.
Even traditional thrash bands such as Slayer, Kreator, and old Sepultura (as well as some NWOTM groups such as Sworn Amongst and 4ARM) are known to hammer in well-placed grooves and breakdowns. As a result, these death, hardcore, and thrash bands work thick guitars and locomotive groove into their songs to whip up a fury of head-slamming mayhem.
So yes, I'm always on the outlook for a metal band that can wield a brutal groove or breakdown like a skull-shattering Louisville Slugger.*
So imagine my excitement when I came across a Connecticut band called The Genocide Of All. This four piece embraces their love of the Slayer riff, the technical sweeps of Megadeth, the hammering Pantera groove, and slime-filled shovels of death metal right from the play book of the aforementioned Jungle Rot. Hell. YES.
For mid-paced grooving deathrash, T.G.O.A. ranks right up with the best of 'em. The guitars balance between simple gallops and fret-running spider riffs, using building dynamics to force the listener to move - whether it be headbanging, foot-stomping, air drumming/guitar, or whatever…you just have to expel that raging metallic energy!
Darrin's vocals are killer expulsions of pure gravelly death (reminding me a lot of Jungle Rot's Dave Matrise). His vocal patterns blend and work so well with T.G.O.A.'s grooving slabs of harsh metal.
Guys, I'm ready for a full length album!
If you're a fan of this type of metal, check out the tracks below and then keep tabs on them at Reverbnation or MySpace.
*I don't mean the bands that use the breakdown as a crutch. There were/are many hardcore-leaning bands that seems to force-fit a breakdown in every single song, making some of them awkward and predictable. Yes, I love some of these bands and when a breakdown flows naturally in their songs, nothing can be more powerful. But I started to hate it when the band would go, "Okay, we did the opening riff, the two verses and choruses, and now let's make all the music stop and go into our conventional and textbook breakdown."
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.
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.
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!
So imagine my excitement when I came across a Connecticut band called The Genocide Of All. This four piece embraces their love of the Slayer riff, the technical sweeps of Megadeth, the hammering Pantera groove, and slime-filled shovels of death metal right from the play book of the aforementioned Jungle Rot. Hell. YES.
