While so many of the bands that emerged from the 1980s hard rock and metal scene have faded into obscurity or now earn their livings purely as nostalgia acts, L.A. Guns has been thriving on creativity and production since the core duo of guitarist Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis got back together in 2017.... Continue Reading →
After 11 years and counting as Zakk Wylde’s right-hand man in Black Label Society, Dario Lorina is moving to centerstage in his new band Dark Chapel. With Lorina leading the way on vocals and guitar, Dark Chapel will release its debut album, “Spirit in the Glass,” on Feb. 28, 2025, via MNRK Heavy (get it... Continue Reading →
Hillhaven has made quite a splash in 2024, quickly becoming one of the more active acts in the “active rock” space. The new band dropped its debut single, “Damned to Dream,” in April and followed that with a new song every month, concluding the year’s release schedule with “This Time Tomorrow” in November. With a... Continue Reading →
More than a decade after its founding, The Funeral Portrait’s time has arrived. Known for its emotionally charged anthems, theatrical live shows and elaborate music videos, the band has cracked the top 10 of Billboard’s Active Rock chart with the single “Suffocate City” (featuring Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills). The song comes from the... Continue Reading →
Dark Divine has come a long way since Live Metal’s first encounter with the band in 2022. Since we interviewed vocalist Anthony Martinez and drummer Triston Blaize, the spooky act has released the “Halloweentown” EP in September 2022, followed by the full-length “Deadly Fun” about a year later, garnered airplay on SiriusXM’s Octane and embarked... Continue Reading →
Joining full-time in 2014 after a fill-in stint in 2012-13, Jeff Fabb is the longest tenured drummer of Black Label Society and the backbone of what has been by far the most consistent lineup in the band’s history—joining guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde, bassist John “J.D.” DeServio and guitarist Dario Lorina for the past 10 years. Some... Continue Reading →
Ghøstkid had the misfortune of emerging in 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic. Unable to play live shows for two years to support its self-titled debut, band mastermind Sebastian “Sushi” Biesler, formerly of German “electronicore” act Electric Callboy (when it still was known as Eskimo Callboy), fell into a bit of funk that... Continue Reading →
More than two decades after its last album and over 10 years since its last live performance, industrial rock band Gravity Kills came back to life in 2023, playing a successful, sold-out show in its old St. Louis stomping grounds and releasing its self-titled debut album (1996) on vinyl for the first time. And that’s... Continue Reading →
Taking another look at “Candyass” (1998) the debut album from electro rock band Orgy, feels like jumping into a time machine. In contrast to today, when the rock music categories often aren’t even shown on the TV broadcasts of major awards shows, the late ‘90s saw bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit clogging MTV’s... Continue Reading →
The Union Underground emerged with its debut album, “... An Education in Rebellion,” in 2000 as part of a new wave of hard rock and metal bands that quickly dominated the charts and festival lineups, many of which are still among the scene’s biggest acts in 2024. But while The Union Underground found success, particularly... Continue Reading →
