Tag Archives: Metal Zenith

Free metal Friday at Another Round RVA in Richmond, VA featuring The Plan, Graveside At Midnight, Dinosaurs In Paris, and Yeet Cleaver on February 2, 2024.

Columbus, Ohio is the home base for the Alternative Rock quartet Red Temple Pray. Musically, they stay on the Rock end of the spectrum, not getting too heavy or fast. Lyrically, they go for some of the darker subjects, exploring personal struggles and issues the world is facing. They ask, Can It Get Any Worse? This is a dangerous question because society has a very habit of responding with, “Challenge Accepted.”

The Optimist In Me is an alternative rock band from the Netherlands aiming to make a positive impact on global happiness while encouraging individuals to embrace their inner optimist. By promoting awareness, they seek to deepen the understanding of mental health. Through the universal language of music and the captivating experience of live shows, they aim to foster a culture of support.

Ember Belladonna is one of those genre-bending, boundary-pushing projects that will shake up what you think is possible in the realm of metal fusions. This is not Symphonic Metal, it’s flute-based Folk Metal, though it’s so much more than just Metal. There are hauntingly beautiful melodies that barely register in the Rock realm, and then  Continue Reading »

Wizard Death is a father/son duo that transcends generations and genres. Influenced by everything from NWOBHM to more Modern Heavy and Thrash Metal, just to start. Throw in some Power Metal, add a few guest musicians, and you end up with a wild concoction that is sure to grab some part of your metal-loving brain. With only three songs on the EP, it is easy to put this on a loop and let it dig into your ears.

Mega Colossus is a five-piece Hard Rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Showdown is their fourth full-length LP. Displaying influences from the past, they bring a modern sound to an old-school style of music. You can hear the 70s and 80s in some of the song structures, but the overall sound is much more complex than that.

Hyloxalus is something heavy music fans have been familiar with for decades; the Canadian Power Trio. One of the key differences is the vocals. The layers of Nina are something out of an Epic Power Symphonic Metal lover’s dream. Her tones are stunning and the way the layers are built creates a soundscape that rivals anything you’ve heard to date. Mike takes on a lot of roles, playing everything except the drums. Danial takes on that task and the three of them show they are all very capable of performing their parts with precision and technicality.

Xephyr formed in 2010 on the outskirts of Toronto, a.k.a. The Badlands, eh. They’ve been a trio and a quartet and had several different formations. They’ve also worked to establish themselves as a hard-working band that can put out both great records and take those songs on tour to rock the fans through the night.  Continue Reading »

Hailing from Leeds, United Kingdom, Cognizance is a five-piece Death Metal outfit formed in 2012. After three early EPs, they have released three full-length albums with Phantazein being the third in five years. This latest offering is a concept album exploring the intricate interplay between art, obsession, and the profound influence of one’s environment. More than just straightforward Death Metal, there is also a highly Technical Metal aspect to their approach in both composition and execution of the music. Intricate leads mix with bombastic rhythms and harsh vocals to build a massive soundscape meant to capture the ear and the mind simultaneously.

Almost Dead is a San Francisco Bay area Thrash Metal band built very much in the tradition of the newest wave of bands originating from that area. Heavy riffage, distorted vocals, chaotic rhythms, and massive attitude have defined this new era. This is old-school attitude with modern tech and theory added to create a more lethal form of the timeless classic Thrash sound.