Welcome

Welcome to Twin Cities Metal, a new blog about the metal and hard rock scene in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. My intent with this blog is write about bands that play in the Twin Cities in an effort to promote live performances. I have no affiliations with any bands, promoters, or records labels. I’m simply a life-long fan of live music and hope to encourage more touring bands to play in the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities is certainly most famous for being the home of Prince, Morris Day, and the “Minneapolis sound” era that produced notable punk and alternative bands such as Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, and the Jayhawks. Lesser known is the smaller, but still rich, history of metal bands from Minneapolis. Bands like Powermad, Impaler, Kublai Khan, American Head Charge, The Regime, Mad Atchu, and Slave Raider have all helped maintain a vibrant, diverse metal scene since the early eighties. Even all-girl superstars Vixen had their start in St. Paul!

Minneapolis–St. Paul ranks as the 15th largest media market in the United States, yet many bands overlook playing these fine cities. The metro area boasts a population over 3.2 million, and is home to one of the largest universities in the nation (the University of Minnesota has over 60,000 students!). Many fine clubs, theaters, and arenas are available for bands to play. The location of the Twin Cities certainly has something to do with a band not playing here. The closest regional cities (Des Moines, Fargo, Madison, Omaha, Duluth, Iowa City) usually aren’t on most band’s tour routes. This isn’t to say that the Twin Cities lack for great metal shows. I’d simply like to see more.

I will start this blog by posting concert reviews and pictures from the last month. In the near future, album reviews and news about bands playing the Twin Cities in the near future will be added. Lastly, an up-to-date metal/hard rock concert calendar will be maintained. It is my hope to encourage both fans and bands to make their presence known in the Twin Cities!