Los Angeles based heavy metal band Kauze are releasing the first single off of their upcoming studio album ‘The Rise To Power’, and we’re bringing its exclusive premiere to you. Listen to it using the YouTube embed below. We also had a conversation with frontman Lane Steele, and this is what he had to say about the song: Continue reading “Exclusive: Kauze Premieres New Single ’12 Rounds’”
By Tyler Crooks
There was an air of excitement in beautiful Anaheim, California as the 2013 Winter NAMM Show was set to take place. The entire music industry had gathered together for 4 wonderful days of musical innovation, celebrity appearances, product unveilings, and so much more. The NAMM Show has always started off with a bang, and this year was no exception. It was a veritable smorgasbord of living legends and legendary products crammed together in the Anaheim Convention Center. Continue reading “The NAMM 2013 Review”
By Avinash Mittur
This year I’ve had the unique opportunity of seeing far more shows than an engineering undergraduate really should. The number isn’t nearly as high compared to some dedicated folks out there, but these shows have spanned a wide variety of styles and settings. I didn’t get to see every show I wanted to (hence Rush’s noticeable absence from this list!), but the bands mentioned here truly put their hearts and souls into performing for the audience, whether they filled a packed amphitheater or lined the walls of an empty club. I came out of every one of these performances awestruck and amazed by what I had witnessed, and this list is meant to honor those bands that truly put their time and effort into making me, the concertgoer, experience true emotional elevation. Continue reading “15 Best Live Performances of 2012”
By Aniruddh ‘Andrew’ Bansal
It’s the month of December, which means it’s time to look back on the music that was released this year, and to attempt the unenviable task of making a list featuring the best albums. Because of my return to India, I obviously wasn’t able to attend nearly as many gigs as I did in LA, but that gave me a lot more time to listen to new music, so I’m probably in a better position to make a year-end albums list than ever before. Before the year began, I was eagerly anticipating new releases from three bands I most religiously follow, Motorhead, Death Angel and Holy Grail. Unfortunately, none of them could come up with a new album this year, but there were more than plenty of other great releases to fill the void.
This year I decided to make a list at the half-way point, in the hope that it would help me do the year-end list with a bit more ease. But I realized that quite a few of the albums released in the early part of the year faded away, while some others that didn’t make the first list really grew on me. And then there were lots of them that turned out to be disappointing. Anyway, without further ado, here’s my top 12 for the year 2012. And in case you’re unfamiliar with my list-based writing, I just want to remind you that I haven’t considered EPs, split albums, live albums, all-covers albums, compilations and re-releases for this list. Continue reading “Top 20 Albums Of 2012”
By Aniruddh ‘Andrew’ Bansal
It’s less than a week to go until Guns N’ Roses hit Indian shores for their 3-date tour starting in Bangalore on December 7th, then on to Mumbai on December 9th, and ending in Gurgaon on December 12th. In anticipation of the Mumbai event which I will be attending, I can’t help but reminisce my first ever live Guns N’ Roses experience, last year at the Forum in Los Angeles.
It’s not hard to guess what the detractors and naysayers would say. They’d be like, “Well, this isn’t the ‘real’ Guns N’ roses lineup, so why bother?” Believe me, I had the same thought when the band’s US tour was announced last year (I was living in LA at the time). But unlike most others who are ready to dismiss the band’s credibility without giving them a chance, I decided to go to the LA show to experience it for myself, before arriving at a conclusion and before hurling any criticism in their direction. I’m extremely glad I did so, because the gig really opened my eyes and introduced me to the incredible musicianship of the current GNR lineup. Continue reading “Preview: Guns N’ Roses Set For First Ever India Tour”