ABOUT MESHUGGAH
In 2017, Swedish progressive metal pioneers MESHUGGAH will be entering their 30th year of existence, defying expectations on record as to the limitations of metal, and then proving their virtuosic prowess by taking their cathedral-complex compositions to stages all over the world through the band’s legendary long tour cycles.
It all began with 1989’s self-titled 3 song EP, also commonly referred to as “Psykisk Testbild”, followed in 1991 by first fullength album Contradictions Collapse but the MESHUGGAH legend was established through the likes of 1993’s None, 1995’s groundbreaking Destroy Erase Improve and the band’s third fullength record, 1998’s Chaosphere. In 2002, Meshuggah issued Nothing, which sold over 110,000 copies in the US and garnered the band an arena tour slot with Tool, as well as a slot on Ozzfest that same year, with high validations from the biggest and most discerning progressive metal bands on the planet at the turn of the decade. Catch Thirtythree, obZen and 2012’s immense Koloss solidified the band’s reputation as creative mavericks raising the reputation of what metal could be, resulting in status as the creators and godfathers of an entire progressive music style known as djent—even if the band has a somewhat ambivalent relationship with that tag or tags of any sort.
The Violent Sleep of Reason, the band’s eighth full-length studio album, finds MESHUGGAH building upon their legacy for fearless metal sculpting within the context of extreme metal, but also recapturing some of the magic and excitement specifically within the aspect of performance, finding flow and groove that would be a challenge for any lesser band to locate, given such technical geometric madness at mischievous hand. The bands efforts did not go unnoticed as they landed a GRAMMY nomination for “Best Metal Performance for their single, “Clockworks.” |
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ABOUT CODE ORANGE
Pittsburgh, PA’s Code Orange is comprised of Jami Morgan (Drums / Vocals), Eric Balderose (Guitar / Vocals), Reba Meyers (Guitar / Vocals), Joe Goldman (Bass) and Dominic Landolina (Guitar). Earlier this year Code Orange released, FOREVER, a jarring and experimental LP which immediately staked its claim as one of 2017’s top releases and landed the band a GRAMMY nomination for “Best Metal Performance.” Rolling Stone included FOREVER in their 50 Best Albums of 2017, while The Fader featured Code Orange as one of their 13 Artists You Need To Know About In 2017.
“Bleeding In The Blur” music video: https://youtu.be/o9-l8_t4AS8
“The Mud” audio stream :https://youtu.be/WBamPDJAMAk
“Forever” music video: https://youtu.be/dZ9JVxQVQy4 |
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ABOUT TOOTHGRINDER
When nothing is off limits, you can reach your full potential.
Toothgrinder realized this fact while making their 2017 full-length, Phantom Amour [Spinefarm Records]. While retaining the slippery schizophrenic spirit that turned them into a critical favorite on 2015’sNocturnal Masquerade, the New Jersey quintet—Justin Matthews [vocals], Jason Goss [guitar], Matt Arensdorf [bass, vocals], Wills Weller [drums], and Johnuel Hasney [guitar]—dramatically augmented their unpredictable creative palette through expanding the grasp on melody, incorporating cinematic electronic flourishes, and even going acoustic, to name a few evolutions.
As hypnotic as they are heavy, these thirteen tracks signify “progress” through and through. It’s also why the band quietly made a palpable impact with Nocturnal Masquerade. As Revolver dubbed them “A Band to Watch,” it earned acclaim from AXS, Metalsucks, New Noise, Metal Hammer, The Aquarian, and more as the single “Diamonds for Gold” [feat. Spencer Sotelo of Periphery] generated over 300K YouTube/VEVO views and “Blue” cracked 384K Spotify streams. The group went on to support Killswitch Engage, Periphery, Sikth, CHON, and more on the road. Meanwhile, Wills made a hilarious cameo in the Martin Scorsese-produced HBO series Vinyl tearing shit up with an oceanside show as frontman for the fictional Pink Fairies.
“When people listen to this, I want them to feel what I felt picking up a really emotionally heavy album,” Justin leaves off. “That feeling lasts.”
“I hope this pushes some boundaries,” concludes Wills. “It’s a breath of fresh air for fans that love the heavy shit and something aggressive for fans of lighter music. It’s the best of both worlds.”
“HVY” lyric video: https://youtu.be/lcLjOhWf1oQ
“Phantom Amour” visualizer: https://youtu.be/sCiwm1_3uMg
“The Shadow” audio stream: https://youtu.be/Spngq84LBVA |
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