The end is nigh! Yes, you read that right! Following these last 4 daring artists, the stage will be set and whittled down to just 6 who will battle it out over at Sonia in the Semi-Final Rounds before the Grand Finale this May the Fourth. Do you have a favorite yet? Well, hold off just a little while longer and sit right back and you’ll hear a tale… of the last four artists to take the Preliminary Round stage at Middle East Upstairs on April 13th:
[Read more…]RoseR Is Ready To (Rock & Roll) Rumble On Steps
Lowell produces some great shit. A lot of which gets lumped into the “Boston Music Scene” that does indeed tend to encompass a lot of the MA area but ya gotta give credit where credit is due and, from our experience at least, Lowell is getting to the point where there’s a need for a “Lowell Music Scene” category brought into the convo. RoseR’s latest is another reason for that.
[Read more…]RNRF X Rock & Roll Rumble: Week 2, Night 5
The end is in sight! Of the Preliminary Round, that is. But before we get to the end of this particular round, we’d love to introduce you to the four fresh new faces (Well, more than just 4 cuz BANDS) who’ll be getting their Rumble on during the penultimate Preliminary night:
[Read more…]Singles! Arrows Of Athena, “Reckless Heart”
There are some tracks you hear and for some reason or another they instantly hit. It’s the timbre of the singer’s wail sometimes or maybe the guitar tones or just an overall vibe. In the case of “Reckless Heart” from Arrows Of Athena it’s all of that and everything else under the sun that we couldn’t think to say. And if new single “Reckless Heart” is just a smidge of what Arrows Of Athena has up its’ collective sleeves then full-length The Ghost Archives has a LOT to live up to when it arrives later this month.
[Read more…]RNRF X Rock & Roll Rumble 2024: Week 2, Night 4
Week 2 of the Rock & Roll Rumble starts NOW! Well, for us and in the interest of this posting it does but in actuality it starts on Thursday, April 11th back at Middle East Upstairs with the first 4 of 12 fresh bands scheduled to appear during the final Preliminary Rounds. Are you sad that the rounds are almost over? Have a favorite yet? Well, here’s some more fodder to confuse and confound all those decisions you thought you already made:
[Read more…]Why Try? Emerge From Chrysalis On Enlightening Honeymoon
It never gets old when a local outfit we were into or covered previously (Alternately, Into AND covered) make a record that showcases how much they’ve grown and generally excel at their craft. Take Boston’s Why Try? for example (And also because that’s who we’re reviewing today) who we last featured around the release of the late 2020 record Just Fine and covers all of that sentiment and then some with an album like Honeymoon that just feels like it’s on the cusp of some greatness.
[Read more…]Temple of the Fuzz Witch Deliver Delectable Dichotomy With Cerebral Crusher Apotheosis
You can’t go wrong with a band that shows the kind of dichotomy in their sound that Temple of the Fuzz Witch does! One song is straight fire with vicious vocals to match the vicious sounds produced through the instruments while the next is a sanguine (There’s a song titled that on the record even!) soliloquy that evokes the sort of emotion not often felt from a heavy ass record such as Apotheosis.
[Read more…]I Ya Toyah Brings The Heat On Genre-Bending New EP I am the Fire
By now you’ve heard the bulk of what’s to come from Chicago’s I Ya Toyah on her upcoming new EP I am the Fire save for the title track which is the only one of the three originals on here (Plus two remixes) not previously released. But you haven’t heard our take! Which is pretty stellar because, let’s face it that when it comes to I Ya Toyah it’s all stellar.
[Read more…]Robotic Hawks Get Down To The Business Of Rawk On Their Way To The 2024 Rock & Roll Rumble With New EP All Business
It’s Rumble SZN, everyone! And with that comes a time to not only revisit some artists we’ve already covered here (Like in our massive Preliminary Round preview pieces that have been steadily popping up recently) but for some of those same artists to drop timely new material ahead of their showcases. Like Hudson, NH’s Robotic Hawks who have a new EP slated to arrive slightly ahead of their opening night set on the last night of the Preliminary Rounds over at Middle East Upstairs on Saturday, April 13th.
[Read more…]Horndal Honor Alrik Andersson With Heady Heaviness Of Head Hammer Man
What a beast of a band! We will never not love us some Proggy Metal when executed right and in the case of Sweden’s Horndal and their latest record, they have executed their brand of heaviness perfectly. Also, how cool is a name like Head Hammer Man for an album title??? It’s also reflective of the album’s hero, the very real Alrik Andersson, who in 1909 in the also real town of Horndal led his fellow ironworkers against the steel company for their jobs and rights.
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