One On One With The GRIM 1

Bombs away! War Cloud is a Bay Area thrash band who honor guitar-driven speed metal licks. Their new album State Of Shock  is very much 1983 meets 1914, with eight tracks of old school denim and leather vest worship, and lyrics pertaining aviation and warfare.  Warcloud photo by Bambie Guthrie 2019 has seen its share of great throwback records spanning genres. The past is alive, and nostalgia is one hell of a drug. Some hit the mark better than others. War Cloud's latest is a direct hit on the mark of vintage Kill 'Em All flavor, with traces of Iron Maiden melodic leads and M ö t ö rhead's punk stylings. Vocalist and guitarist Alex Wein produces a pitch perfect replication of early James Hetfield. The opening track "Striker" sounds nearly identical to Metallica's "Whiplash" in some parts, with their own musical detours along the way. My main criticism of this work is its tendency to tread familiar territory. As a big fan of these classic ...

Profanatica is widely recognized as the first United States black metal band. Building on the foundation set forth by Venom and Hellhammer, Profanatica has spewed a rambunctious attack on all that is holy since 1990. Their antics on and off stage gained the same notoriety as their hellish music. While their European counterparts posed for photographs with candelabras and swords, Profanatica did photos with blood dripping from their limp dicks. Grainy VHS from the early 90s interviews show them giggling as they rip pages out of a bible and eat them. In many ways, Profanatica is one of the metal bands to become a meme. The recordings of what was to become their first album was destroyed by spiteful band mates before it was ever released in 1990 - read on to find out more about that fateful event. It was nearly two decades later that Profanatica birthed their first full length  Profanatitas De Domanatias in 2007. Rotting Incarnation Of God  is Profanatica's upcoming full len...

M ö tley Crüe rocked back then. Leathürbitch rocks now. These glamorous guys from Seattle have arena-sized riffs, with even bigger hair. Their 2018 self-titled   EP made my list for one of best albums of the years. In an age when "so-and-so worship" has practically become its own genre, and every other up-and-coming band is a blatant rip off the thrash, black and death metal progenitors of yesteryear, Leathürbitch  get it right. Their sound is a potent throwback of the sleaze and speed that made the eighties the best decade for heavy music, with their own hungry flare. I was blessed to receive a copy of their new CD, 2019's  Into The Night,  from their frontman Joel Stair. It has all the hallmarks of a great eighties metal album: Umlauts? Check.  A bunch of dudes looking tough with massive perms? Check? At least one song title with a sick acronym? Check.  Bare-chested drummer with a huge 'stache and bondage harness? Check. A prominently...

Hembree & The Satan Sisters have unleashed a hellacious debut album today in F.Y.F., short for "fuck your feelings." Hembree preaches a simple message of "FUCK YOU" from start to finish on this one, and this message hits like a steel toed booth to the teeth.  F.Y.F.  simmers with raw attitude and aggression, as well as rock n roll hooks and southern sensibilities. It reminds me of everything from S.O.D. to the Pixies. Head over to Metal Injection to read my more detailed review of Hembree & The Satan Sisters F.Y.F. And on the day of his album release, here's an email interview I conducted with Zach Hembree about his new record, pro wrestling, and life. HELL-O Hembree. How's life? Hey, I am doing pretty good overall. I saw the Dwarves play last night, and they were fucking great! Other than that, I am constantly busy with all things with the band. So, busy and good.  Right now I am listening to a little Mercyful Fate and talking with you. ...

Tower is the New York City rock n roll party that will keep you thumping up all night long. Following a brief hiatus two years ago, these classic rockers have returned with a new music video for their single "Run For Your Life, from their upcoming Tomorrow and Yesterday  EP, due October 19.  I first met Tower at the 2016 Revolver Music Awards, which you can watch below. During a two-hour span, where I interviewed living legends like Ace Frehley, and an innumerable amount of bands I had never heard of nor heard from ever again, Tower stuck out with their vintage looks and wide-eyed grins, like some gang of underage kids who crashed the open bar of a wedding. And Tower deliver the goods, too. Their 2016   self-titled album is a rowdy listening experience, one that will remind you to uncross your arms and let loose. Life is too short, man.  On the eve of their new EP, I once again spoke with Tower's guitarist James Danzo, who also shreds in the thrash group EAT L...

With a name like NECROFEST, this is the perfect subject matter for the Necrosexual to jum[ on. This first annual spectacle of ultra violence includes Denmark's Taphos making their US debut, live death match wrestling, and a slew of heavy hitters, at the legendary Saint Vitus Bar and Brooklyn Bazaar in New York City. The madness takes place on September 20 - 21, and comes highly recommended from the GRIM-1.   The brains behind Necrofest is Oxalate guitarist and promoter Zakk Mild, who I spoke with last year at his third annual Metal Punk Death Fest at Saint Vitus Bar. Watch the video below, as it features dispatches from Zakk, Oxalate, Skullsplitters, Midmourner and Slashers. Once again, I spoke with Zakk Mild on the eve of Necrofest.  HELL-O Zakk! So it's been a year since your last Metal Punk Death Fest, which was featured in the New York Times. How's life? I hope the Wall Street Journal does a write up this year, hahaha. Was pretty wild seeing a festi...