It’s safe to say that thrash metal is alive and well in 2023, with a number of veteran and younger acts making waves in the subgenre. Richmond, Virginia’s Enforced is foremost among the latter. Its third album, “War Remains” (Century Media), has drawn universal acclaim—including from Live Metal—and the band is set to hit the... Continue Reading →
There’s a new spooky band on the block, and just in time for the season Orlando, Florida’s Dark Divine is set to drop its debut EP, “Halloweentown,” on Sept. 30, 2022, via InVogue Records (pre-order here). After forming in 2021, the band started making waves that same year with its first single, also titled “Halloweentown,”... Continue Reading →
It’s hard to imagine a worse time for a new act to drop its debut album than 2020, in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Florida rock band Fame on Fire—due in no small part to its strong social media presence—weathered the storm quite well and, when the world started to reopen in 2021,... Continue Reading →
Hailing from the long and proud music tradition of Detroit, Michigan, Kaleido has spent the past decade making a name for itself as an independent act, sharing stages with the likes of Aerosmith, Slash, Kid Rock, Halestorm, Rob Zombie and other luminaries. When touring finally returned in 2021, the band spent three months opening for... Continue Reading →
Mark Tremonti—guitar god of Alter Bridge, Creed and Tremonti fame—found a new purpose in life when his daughter Stella was born in March 2021 with Down syndrome. As the first project with his new initiative Take a Chance for Charity, he’s releasing an album titled “Tremonti Sings Sinatra” (May 27, 2022; read Live Metal’s review),... Continue Reading →
Dark and cold, Iceland is not exactly the hotbed for power metal that mainland Europe has been over the years. But with the worldwide attention the Reykjavík-based Power Paladin is gaining in early 2022, maybe that could change. Formed in 2017 and signed to Atomic Fire Records, the new label started by Nuclear Blast founder... Continue Reading →
After decades as a recording and touring artist, and 19 albums to his name, Kirk Windstein still finds his inspiration from the pursuit of the almighty riff. And through his work with his signature band Crowbar, the “supergroups” Down and Kingdom of Sorrow, and his 2020 solo album “Dream in Motion,” Windstein has put a... Continue Reading →
First gaining notice with a series of covers, South Florida’s We’re Wolves asserted itself as a powerful creative force with the October 2021 release of its full-length debut, “Evil Things.” Based on Dante’s “Inferno,” the record takes the listener on a journey through the nine circles of hell—fertile ground for a horror-loving metal band. Live... Continue Reading →
In Flames, Soilwork, At the Gates, Arch Enemy—the list of Swedish metal bands achieving global acclaim and popularity is long indeed. Could the next one to join their esteemed ranks be Eyes Wide Open? Ten years into its career, the band clearly is hitting its stride creatively. Its latest release, “Through Life and Death” (Arising... Continue Reading →
Many bands have chosen to sit on the sidelines throughout the pandemic, unwilling to take the risk of releasing new music in the midst of so much uncertainty. Symphonic metal band Ad Infinitum has done exactly the opposite, releasing its debut album, “Chapter I: Monarchy” (review) in April 2020; an acoustic version of the record,... Continue Reading →
