Knoxville Metal Blog

Creep Show Talks to Moreno, Debates 2009 Metal Albums

2009-12-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most interesting interviews I have seen in a while. The Creep Show interviews Deftones' Chino Moreno about Chi Cheng's ongoing recovery. In the second half of the show, the group debates which albums should be included in the top 10 metal albums of the year.

Pelican to unload their Instrumental Sludge in Knoxville

2009-11-24T06:06:00.000-08:00

For those who are interested in instrumental/sludge metal I recommend checking out Pelican at the Cider House on Wednesday December 9th. The opening bands include sludge metal maniacs Black Cobra and Disappear.

The Cider House is a cool venue located in the building adjacent to the Valarium. The stage and the area in front of the stage are tiny! Though, the entire floor space is somewhat roomy, with solid wood support beams visible throughout the vintage style building. They also have a very nice large wooden bar with a few nice beers on tap. Cider House is definitely one of the more interesting venues in the Knoxville area.

Megadeth at the Valarium

2009-11-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

Just in case you've been living on Planet Nibiru the last few weeks: I should tell you that Megadeth is playing in Knoxville at the Valarium on Sunday November 22nd. Luckily for you Nibiru types, the new Megadeth album, Endgame, is inspired by modern political conspiracy theories. Though, more importantly, the new stuff shreds like classic Megadeth!

Playing with Megadeth will be Machine Head, Suicide Silence, and Arcanium.

BTBAM at the Bijou

2009-11-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

I am suddenly inspired to update this blog given an amazing show has been anounced: Between The Buried And Me, Cynic, Devin Townsend Project, and Scale the Summit will be preforming at the Bijou on February 5th.

This is easily the most epic prog metal lineup to play in Knoxville in several years. All four bands are solid!

For those who don't know, BTBAM has released a new album, The Great Misdirect. Though, If your a first time listener, I recommend you first start with BTBAM's Colors album - probably their best to date.

See you there!

Knoxville Metal - FYI

2009-05-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

Two shows of interest happening this week:

Generation of Vipers, Hot Blood, and I Need Closure, will be playing at Club Catalyst on Wednesday June 3rd.

And this Friday, Battery (a Metallica tribute band) will be playing a show at the Valarium.

Opeth Knoxville Review, Set List

2009-05-24T06:55:00.000-07:00

So, its been a couple days since the Opeth show at the Bijou Theatre, and I have had time for some reflection. There is no possible way I can overstate how awesome this show was. This performance was one of the best I have ever been to in the Knoxville area, regardless of genre.

The opening band, Enslaved, shredded like there was no tomorrow. Everyone, even those who had never heard of Enslaved, were yelling at the top of their lungs in appreciation for the effort at the end of their 50 minute set.

When Opeth came on, they set the mood from the beginning with a spectacular light show, and wisely chose their opening song to be Heir Apparent. They preformed this song flawlessly, and continued to play with amazing tightness the rest of the gig. Their hard hitting rhythmic syncopation and time changes were coordinated with the fast-paced light show. With each blast from the amplifiers a well timed explosion of light appeared.

Mikael Åkerfeldt was also very talky, which I though was cool, though not everyone liked this. I heard people yelling a few things like, "Shut Up and Play!". Luckily Mikeal was able to focus on more appreciative thoughts from the crowd.

Altogether, one of the best Knoxville shows I have ever seen...

Here is the the best video I can find from the show (let me know if you can find a better quality vid):

Ghost of Perdition

Set List:

Heir Apparent
Ghost of Perdition
Godhead's Lament
Wreath
Karma
Hessian Peel
Closure
Night and the Silent Water
The Lotus Eater

brief Fredrik Åkesson guitar solo
Demon of the Fall

NIN, Mastodon Review

2009-05-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week!

It was kicked off with an incredibly raw NIN show (5-10-09). It was absolutely amazing, and pulled off without the usual high tech props that fans have seen for so many years.

Sadly, this might be the last nails show I will ever get to see. And other than Bonnaroo, this is probably the last nails show within a 4 hours of Knoxville. For sure, Trent seemed very serious about his retirement plans. Though, a friend I went to the show with, (who also happens to be the biggest nails fan this side of the reptilian universe) is convinced that NIN will be back very soon... We can only hope...

The amazing set list for the Show:

Noise Intro
1,000,000
Wish
Heresy
March of the Pigs
Something I Can Never Have
meddle
The Becoming
Head Down
Mr. Self Destruct
Reptile
The Big Come Down
Gave Up
Gone, Still
Survivalism (w Saul Williams)
Banged & Blown Through (w Saul Williams)
Home
Trent Speaks & Intros Band
Physical (You're So)
Down In It
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole

While NIN is retiring, I saw another band this week that seems to be just emerging in their place as one of the best prog metal bands to ever roam the earth - Mastodon. If you love prog-metal, and you haven't listened to Mastodon's new album, Crack the Skye, then drop everything you are doing and run immediately to the record store and get this amazing work of art.

It was certainly an awesome surprise to see them play in Asheville this week (5-14-09), as they played Crack the Skye in its entirety in the first set, along with incredible visuals that corresponded with the concept of the album. The second set was ripe with older material.

One thing I am always amazed by is how incredibly difficult Mastodon songs are to play: they are loaded with spastic time changes and jazz- metal lead parts that are used like other bands use rhythm parts, and its awe-inspiring to see this pulled off live!

Set List from the Asheville Show:
Oblivion
Divinations
Quintessence
The Czar
Ghosts of Karelia
Crack the Skye
the Last Baron
Bladecatcher
Colony of Birchmen
The Wolf is Loose
Crystal Skull
Capillarian Crest
Iron Tusk
Megalodon
Seabeast
March of the Fire Ants

NIN, Alex Grey, and Mastodon

2009-05-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Please accept my apologies many times over for not having updated this site in some time, as I have been working on some other personal projects...

Nevertheless, the upcoming week is full of pleasant surprises:

NIN is playing in Atlanta on Sunday.

On Thursday, Mastodon is playing at the Orange Peel in Asheville.

And on Thursday, Alex Grey, the artist who predominately contributes to Tool's album artwork, will be having an interactive show at Club Catalyst.

The plan is to make it to all three events and live to write about them here. We'll see...

Mastodon - "Blood and Thunder"

Unknown Hinson, Facelock, and others to rock Knoxville!

2009-02-18T14:32:00.000-08:00

A couple shows to mention.

I was just sent an email from someone informing me about a show with local bands Facelock, Kumace, and Awake the Suffering, who are all playing tonight at Club Catalyst - This is the new club located at the old Blue Cats building...

Also, I received another email from someone who turned my attention to the Unknown Hinson show at Patrick Sulivan's on February 26th. While Unknown Hinson doesn't play metal, he certainly brings a very metal attitude to his music, and he's a fucking amazing guitar player!

Thanks for the emails and updates!

knoxvillemetal@gmail.com

ISIS to Release 2009 Album

2009-02-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

I was excited to learn this morning that Isis is scheduled to release an album on May 5th. I know this isn't so much Knoxville news, but its certainly something that I'm very excited about.

By the way, though this blog has mostly become a projection of my musical insights, please feel free to send me information that you find interesting - particularly if its Knoxville related...

Art for Upcoming Isis Album:

This is a track from their most recent album, In the Absence of Truth, released in 2006:

Argintinum Astrum Info...

2009-02-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

I received this update recently from local metal band, Argentinum Astrum:

So we added a bunch of badass shows that are coming up including our Big Ears show saturday which is totally FREE and starts around 8pm at the pilot light (Feb 7th). This show will be a totally new set featuring brain lesion(Andrew), and several other local noise musicians. Our cd is gonna be reviewed in several major zines, like Maximumrocknroll and Give me back, so be on the look out for those. We will also be posting a blog soon with all the distros that are carrying our cd, plus info on the new recordings next month. Last but not least, be on the lookout for an east coast tour for early summer.

Opeth Comes to Knoxville!

2009-02-05T05:19:00.000-08:00

So needless to say, I was very surprised when a friend sent me this info from the Bijou Theatre:

Swedish Metal God’s Opeth will bring their forward-thinking combination of metal, classic rock, prog, folk and free form jazz to the Bijou Theatre for an amazing evening. This will be their only Southern stop on a US tour (besides Memphis) with support provided by the legendary Norwegian metal band Enslaved. An evening not to be missed for die-hard Opeth fans. Tickets will likely not last long.

Opeth, in Knoxville? wow... And they've been booked at a very atypical location, the Bijou.

The show is set for May 22nd, but tickets will be available this Friday.

I think I speak for all the die-hard Opeth fans out there when i say - thank you AC Entertainment!

Here's a sample of their live performance:

Metal, a Comfort for Bright Children?

2009-01-29T07:02:00.000-08:00

So I thought I should share this article that talks about how Heavy Metal is seen as "comfort music" for some bright children. As much as I like heavy music, I'm not sure that there's a link between a preference for metal and intelligence. Though, I certainly can see why intelligent children who feel socially isolated would be inclined to like metal...

Metal, especially experimental metal, is not naturally easy to listen to: For me, the appeal is in the extremely intense catharsis, as well as the strong feeling that amazing music is not limited by how "light" or "heavy" it may be...

Heavy metal 'a comfort for the bright child'

Intelligent teenagers often listen to heavy metal music to cope with the pressures associated with being talented, according to research.

The results of a study of more than 1,000 of the brightest five per cent of young people will come as relief to parents whose offspring, usually long-haired, are devotees of Iron Maiden, AC/DC and their musical descendants.

Researchers found that, far from being a sign of delinquency and poor academic ability, many adolescent "metalheads" are extremely bright and often use the music to help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted social outsiders.

Stuart Cadwallader, a psychologist at the University of Warwick, will present the findings at the British Psychological Society conference in York today.

He said: "There is a perception of gifted and talented students as being into classical music and spending a lot of time reading. I think that is an inaccurate stereotype. There is literature that links heavy metal to poor academic performance and delinquency but we found a group that contradicts that.

"We are looking at a group with lower than average self-esteem that does not feel quite as well adjusted. They feel more stressed out and turn to heavy metal as a way of relieving that stress.

"Participants said they appreciated the complex and sometimes political themes of heavy metal music more than perhaps the average pop song. It has a tendency to worry adults a bit but I think it is just a cathartic thing. It does not indicate problems."

The researchers surveyed 1,057 members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth - a body whose 120,000 student members are within the top five per cent academically in the 11-19 age range.

Asked for their favourite type of music, 39 per cent said rock, 18 per cent R&B and 14 per cent pop. Six per cent said heavy metal and a third rated it in their top five genres.

The heavy metal fans in the study had lower self-esteem and more difficulties in family relationships and friendships.

Mr Cadwallader then held an online discussion involving 19 members of the academy, 17 of whom were heavy metal fans. They spoke of listening to bands including System of a Down, Slipknot, Tool, Dragon Force, Forward Russia and In Flames when they were in a bad mood and using it to work off frustrations and anger.

One student said: "It helps me with stress. It's the general thrashiness of it. You can't really jump your anger into the floor and listen to your music at the same time with other types of music."

Mr Cadwallader added: "Perhaps gifted people experience more pressure than their peers and use the music to purge this negativity."

Dan Silver, assistant editor of the music magazine NME who has worked for Kerrang! and Metal Hammer, said: "Many themes of heavy metal are about alienation. If you have these kinds of feelings there is a lot you can get out of the music and the community of fans who are into it."

Scion Rock Festival - How to Get Tickets

2009-01-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

As soon as you can, you will need to go on the Scion Rock Fest website and register. Then, you will eventually be emailed instructions on how to redeem tickets at one of the locations listed below (notice a Knoxville location is included!). Until you get this verification email, don't bother contacting the ticket outlets, because they won't be able to give you any tickets until you have a printed verification receipt. But once you get your verification email, act fast and print your verification receipt, because tickets are limited...

Also, I'm looking for a responsible person to carpool with from Knoxville... Send me an email if you're interested: knoxvillemetal@gmail.com. (I may even have an extra ticket)

ATLANTA
Criminal Records
(404) 215-9511
1154-A Euclid Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307

Wax N' Facts
(404) 525-2275
432 Moreland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307

Low Yo Yo Stuff Records
432 Moreland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307

Wuxtry Records-Atlanta
(404) 329-0020
2096 N Decatur Rd
Decatur, GA 30033

Decatur CD
404.371.9090
356 West Ponce de Leon Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030

Full Moon Records
(404) 377-1919
1653 Mclendon Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307

NASHVILLE
Grimey's
615-254-4801
1604 8th Ave. South
Nashville, TN 37203

LOUISVILLE
Carmichael’s Bookstore
502-456-6950
1925 Bardstown Rd
Louisville, KY

Underground Sounds
502-485-0174
2003 Highland Ave.
Louisville, KY 40204

CHARLOTTE
Lunchbox Records
704-331-0788
1419-A Central Ave.
Charlotte, NC 28205

Manifest Records
704-552-8448
6239 South Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28217

KNOXVILLE
Lost & Found Records
865-687-5556
3714 Walker Blvd.
Knoxville, TN 37902

TALLAHASSEE
Vinyl Fever
(850) 580-3480
2256 W Pensacola St
Tallahassee, FL 32304

GREENVILLE
Horizon Records
864-235-7922
2-A West Stone Ave.
Greenville, SC 29609

Earshot
864-232-1623
1418 Laurens Rd.
Greenville, SC 29607

CHARLESTON
52.5 Records
843-722-3525
561 King St.
Charleston, SC 29403

Mudvayne Comes to Knoxville

2009-01-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Mudvayne Fans - Don't Forget to Remember (so to speak) to buy your tickets for Mudvayne at the Valarium, which will most certainly sell out!

I'm personally excited to see Nonpoint as an opener...

Scion Rock Festival

2009-01-13T06:20:00.000-08:00

***Updated*** More recent Scion Rock Fest information has been updated here...

I almost could not believe my eyes when I saw the lineup for the Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta this February 28th, 2009:

* Mastodon
* Neurosis
* High on Fire
* Boris
* 1349
* Cryptopsy
* Torche
* Nachtmystium
* Wolves in the Throne Room
* Baroness
* Harvey Milk
* Kylesa
* Zoroaster
* Withered
* Krallice
* Toxic Holocaust
* Skeletonwitch
* Rwake
* A Storm of Light
* Warbringer
* Salome
* Suidakra
* Tyr

And the twist is... Its a "free" show! From what I can tell, tickets will be distributed in some creative way, though details are presently scarce.

I am strongly considering going to this one day fest. As I learn more, I'll keep you updated...

Tool Playing Sober in 1993...

2009-01-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

There's just something about this video...

The word on the street is that we can expect a Tool album sometime in 2010. There's a very good chance that this will be their last album... Tool may also be working on a pre-album Mini Tour to celebrate 20 years of playing together - they first practiced as a band in 1989.

Although I have seen Tool recently, I very much would like to see them come back to Knoxville.

Tool last came to Knoxville on 11-5-2002, and played this awesome set list at the Civic Coliseum:

Sober
Ions
Stinkfist
H.
Schism
Third Eye

Intermission

Disposition
Reflection
Triad
Lateralus

Cookie Monster Covers TNT by ACDC

2008-12-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Cookie Monster was my hero as a 5 year old... Somehow this video validates my childhood puppet preferences:

A special thanks to James for passing this along...

Argentinum Astrum and Abaddon to Play at Pilot Light

2008-12-26T06:17:00.000-08:00

For metal heads with a taste for "experimental" Black Metal, ARGENTINUM ASTRUM will be playing at the Pilot Light this Tuesday, December 30th. I have been listening to Argentinum Astrum's myspace page over morning coffee - they have a very compelling ambient sound...

Death Metal band Abaddon will be playing as well. Abaddon also seem to have an "experimental" vibe, which is particularly noticeable in their well-developed knack for creating intriguing "Dark Ethereal" sounds with their instruments and vocals. You can check out Abaddon's music on their myspace page.

Cool stuff.

5 bucks gets you in the show...

Trivium Comes to Knoxville

2008-12-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Fucking Holidays!

Santa has rewarded you with a stocking full of metal!

Trivium will be playing at the Valarium on Wednesday January 21st.

For more information, check out the Valarium's website.

Tonight at Pilot Light

2008-12-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight at Pilot Light:

Thursday • December 18 • 10pm
GRAVEBOUND with HOLY SHIT and THINK TWICE
18+ $5

I stumbled across this video of Gravebound...

Bonnaroo 2009 Rumors

2008-12-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

I have been searching the net for rumors regarding the 2009 Bonnaroo lineup, with the hopes of seeing metal/hard rock music having a decent representation again this year.

While rumors that have even the slightest credibility have been thin thus far, I have been reading an interesting, yet seemingly recycled rumor that Led Zeppelin might be playing Bonnaroo with Dave Grohl as guest drummer. Before you Zeppelin fans get too excited, remember this was a pervasive rumor last year that obvioulsy did not come to fruition.

Even so, a Zeppelin show at Bonnaroo isn't totally out of question, as they have shown recent interest in preforming live. This video was shot at a live performance in 2007:

Deftones

2008-12-04T06:36:00.000-08:00

This is not so much Knoxville news, but its something I've been following:

For those of you who don't know, Chi Cheng, the Bassist for Deftones has been in a serious coma since being critically injured in a car wreck almost 4 weeks ago. (I cant begin to tell you what this guy's music has meant to me over the years.) Deftones was scheduled to release an album early in 2009, but I wouldn't be surprised if the album were delayed. If you are a Deftones fan or you would just like to follow Chi's recovery, the official Deftones blog is giving regular updates...

From what I can tell, Chi did not have his seatbelt buckled at the time of the accident...

Between The Buried And Me

2008-12-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

Well it looks official - BTBAM's Buried-Legend Tour unfortunately will not be going through Knoxville. Their closest show will be in their hometown of Charlotte NC. After this mini tour, they will be heading to Australia to play a series of shows.

They have also released a live dvd recording of their album "Colors", one of my favorite new metal albums... This live dvd was recorded in Nashville recently. I would have gone to that show, except that I scored tickets to see prog-rock pioneers King Crimson play that same night. Ironically, King Crimson was playing in Nashville only a few streets away from the BTBAM show. Oh well, you cant catch them all...

Here is a sample of what is on their live dvd:

Support Local Music

2008-12-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

Excorsizer, a band formally known as Angelic Illusion has scheduled three December shows in and around the Knoxville area. I have never seen these guys play, but they are making some very nice music. Its definitely worthwhile to support local bands, especially when they are playing quality Thrash Metal! Check out their myspace page for show details - and while your there, check out their killer track entitled "Every Dead Thing".

I'll report back to you guys if I can make it to one of their shows...

Lets Get Started!!!

2008-11-30T07:13:00.000-08:00

OK... 2 shows to mention:

1) The Misfits are playing at the Valarium this Wednesday, December 3rd. The Misfits are much more punk than metal, but they deserve an honorable mention because they have been rocking hard for the past 30 years, and have become a cross-generational phenomenon.

2) Job for a Cowboy will also be playing at the Valarium on Sunday December 7th. Come prepared to experience Death Metal the way it was always meant to be played. Trust me, these guys are the real deal! Do yourself a big favor - check out their debut album, entitled Genesis. Playing with them are Hate Eternal, All Shall Perish, Animosity, and Annotations of an Autopsy.

For more information check out this website.

Fuck Yeah, Fuckin Metal Rules!!!

2008-11-27T17:31:00.001-08:00

OK boys and girls... as you may have guessed, this blog is about all things metal in Knoxville (TN). Please help out by sending me a message when you get news of any new metal shows coming to town! Also, feel free to opine about anything metal: what inspires you? what have you been listening to recently?