By Greg Maki And just like that, we’ve come to the end of another year. And as always—if you know where to look and keep an open mind—2022 was filled with plenty of good to great releases in metal and hard rock. Here are the best of what made it to my ears in the... Continue Reading →
Silent Civilian was the most criminally overlooked metal band of the 2000s
By Greg Maki—UPDATE (Dec. 6, 2022): Silent Civilian has released a lyric video for "My Addiction," its first new music in over 12 years. According to a press release, the song is from the band's third album, "The Reckoning," tentatively scheduled for a spring 2023 release. Read more here.) While music—specifically metal and hard rock—has... Continue Reading →
Mötley 101: Ranking the Crüe’s discography
By Greg Maki With “The Stadium Tour” finally underway, Mötley Crüe is officially back in action, playing its first shows since “The Final Tour”—supposedly sealed with a legal contract—wrapped on Dec. 31, 2015. Though known for spectacle and its band members’ outrageous lifestyles—immortalized in “The Dirt,” the book and movie—more than anything else, the Crüe... Continue Reading →
‘To hell is where I’ll go’ … Live Metal’s best of 2021
By Greg Maki-----After the hellscape of 2020, music surged back in a big way throughout 2021. Concerts—even festivals—returned along with a flood of new releases from artists young and old. Metal and hard rock remain far outside the mainstream, but if you put in the effort to look, I’d argue that there’s more quality music... Continue Reading →
INK 101: A trip through the Ice Nine Kills discography
By Greg Maki I don’t know why or how, but somehow Ice Nine Kills had eluded me for years. Certainly, I had heard the name and saw it growing in prominence over time. I took note of the horror influences and thought to myself, “That looks fun. Maybe I should check it out.” Surprisingly, the... Continue Reading →
2021 FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT: Currents
More and more, festivals are becoming the driving force for touring rock and metal bands. While obviously there were none in 2020, festivals are returning in force in 2021, mostly in late summer and early fall. Headliners and co-headliners include such heavy hitters as Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, the original Misfits, Korn,... Continue Reading →
2021 FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT: The HU
More and more, festivals are becoming the driving force for touring rock and metal bands. While obviously there were none in 2020, festivals are returning in force in 2021, mostly in late summer and early fall. Headliners and co-headliners include such heavy hitters as Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, the original Misfits, Korn,... Continue Reading →
2021 FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT: Diamante
More and more, festivals are becoming the driving force for touring rock and metal bands. While obviously there were none in 2020, festivals are returning in force in 2021, mostly in late summer and early fall. Headliners and co-headliners include such heavy hitters as Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, the original Misfits, Korn,... Continue Reading →
2021 FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT: To Us Below
More and more, festivals are becoming the driving force for touring rock and metal bands. While obviously there were none in 2020, festivals are returning in force in 2021, mostly in late summer and early fall. Headliners and co-headliners include such heavy hitters as Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, the original Misfits, Korn,... Continue Reading →
2021 FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT: Fever 333
More and more, festivals are becoming the driving force for touring rock and metal bands. While obviously there were none in 2020, festivals are returning in force in 2021, mostly in late summer and early fall. Headliners and co-headliners include such heavy hitters as Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, the original Misfits, Korn,... Continue Reading →