Metal On The Road

Fans of Anthrax should be excited to hear that the band have been working on new music. In a statement shared to the band’s website, the group have been in the studio with producer Jay Ruston , recording basic tracks for their upcoming and much anticipated new album. This will be the first we have heard from Anthrax since “ For All Kings ” which released in 2016, which Ruston also produced. Looking back on that album’s production, with Ruston at the helm of this new album as well, fans can expect to hear Anthrax firing on all cylinders once again. There is no title or release date known yet, but I will keep you updated as we hear more info.  “We’re going to need a bigger boat…” - Anthrax , 2024.

  Seemingly out on nowhere, Mötley Crüe have released a new single “Dogs Of War” to a lacklustre reception. This being their first proper single since “The Dirt (Est. 1981)” which featured Machine Gun Kelly, fans and critics alike have derided the song as stale and boring. This song is just terrible on so many levels. From the tired and heavily processed vocals, to the formulaic bland music - not even the hamfisted attempt at modernisation through the influence of guitarist John 5 could salvage this dumpster fire. And that’s before we even get to discussing the music video, which falls somewhere between outdated mid-2000s trash and a forced, misguided attempt to be relevant in 2024. This is what happens when an artist has too much money and is surrounded by yes men who are riding on the coattails of the success they had in the 1980s. If I’m sure of anything regarding this band, it’s that they are clearly past their prime and this song is the final nail in the band’s coffin, that no...

  As Knotfest hits Australian shores, the lineup leaves much to be desired among metalheads across the nation. While the recent Pantera reunion featuring Charlie Benante of Anthrax on drums and Zack Wild of Black Label Society on lead guitar has been met with mixed reception amongst diehard fans, one look at the lineup has many considering the state of heavy music festivals in Australia. Many of the headlining bands have been around for almost 20 years, with little inclusion of new bands, Knotfest seems to be riding the nostalgia wave which has been plaguing much of Australian music festivals lately, which leaves little space for emerging artists to break through. 

 New single from Kerry King’s solo band post-Slayer. Featuring Mark from Death Angel on vocals, ex Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, the bassist from Hellyeah (ergh) and Phil Demmel (Vio-lence/Machine Head) on guitar. Sounds good to me from what I’ve heard so far. Looking forward to the album release in May. 

It seems that legendary bay area thrasher's Testament will be getting a new drummer in 2023. Currently, Dave Lombardo sits behind the kit for the band. Though during their most recent north American tour, has missed a slew of dates. Lombardo has been working in multiple projects at the moment, playing for Mr Bungle, Dead Cross, Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies, The Misfits and Empire State Bastard. With many of these bands currently active touring and in the studio, Lombardo has perhaps bitten off more than he can chew in his post-Slayer career, with an apparent insatiable hunger to keep playing that has left him double booked. Filling in for him during this time and now in a more permanent position, is Chris Dovas . In a quote from guitarist and founding member Eric Peterson, he praises Dovas for stepping up when the band found themselves in trouble: " Chris replaced Dave on our last North American run cause of over booked scheduled from Dave, but it was a blessing...

For the first time in 2747 years Vio-Lence are back! Releasing their new EP in March of this year, the band have quickly established their presence is just as sharp, crushing and even more relevant than when we last heard from them. Our first taste of the new EP back on January with the release of the single Flesh From Bone , a promising relaunch for the band to listeners in 2022. Following this the title track from  Let The World Burn dropped less than a month before the full EP, further cementing the cult bay area thrashers as a formidable force to rival all on the scene today. They stand as vanguards of the old school and with this EP prove that thrash metal can still have teeth and if you're not fast enough, it will still attack.