New HIGH ON FIRE Single Available for Free Download

The mighty High On Fire last week released a new single "Slave The Hive" that is available exclusively as a free download from Scion A/V. You can also stream the song using the Soundcloud widget below.

Scion is sponsoring High On Fire's upcoming U.S tour with Kveletak and Doomriders, Pack Of Wolves, or Windhand on select dates, and a limited 7" vinyl pressing of "Slave The Hive" will be available at the shows. The full tour itinerary follows, which includes a stop here in Minneapolis on Saturday, November 30 at First Avenue.

Tonight - KVELERTAK in Minneapolis, SANCTUARY in St. Paul

Hopefully you’re already aware of the three great shows taking place tonight. First, reactivated melodic thrash band Sanctuary will be playing Station 4 in St. Paul. Sanctuary was reformed by vocalist Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard following the demise of Nevermore. This is show is to celebrate The SwordLord’s 10th year promoting metal shows. Everyone in the Twin Cities area should be grateful for all of the great bands The SwordLord (Nathan Block) has brought to town over the years. Thanks, Nathan! Support for Sanctuary will come from Hollowstone, Avian, and Redshift. This is a 16+ show that starts around 6:00, and tickets are $25 at the door.

Nevermore performing December 11, 2000 in San Diego.

Watch the official video for "Future Tense" from the Sanctuary's 1990 album Into The Mirror Black.

RELATED CONTENT: You can download the audio of Nevermore on October 28, 1997 in North Kansas City here, and I’ve posted some old live pictures and promotional materials of both Sanctuary and Nevermore here.

Yes, visa problems forced Japan’s Loudness to CANCEL their show at the Hi 5 Bar in Burnsville tonight as reported in more detail last night. Local hard rock band Downtread will now do the show themselves with Arena. This is show is now free and the bar will have cheap beer specials. Downtread hits the stage at 10:00.

RELATED CONTENT: Check out the review (with pictures) of Loudness on May 19, 2011 at Ground Zero in Minneapolis, and you can also download the complete audio of the show.

Check out this great live video of Kvelertak performing "Spring Fra Livet" on Norwegian TV.

Another late show takes place tonight at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis where you can catch Norway’s confounding Kvelertak with Cancer Bats and Black Tusk. Showtime is 10:00 – it’s 18+ and tickets are $15 at the door.

RELATED CONTENT: Read the review of the new Kvelertak album, Meir, here (5/10).

In Concert This Week - April 25, 2013

Looking ahead this week, Saturday, April 27 is huge night with three big shows around the metro. Over at Station 4 in St. Paul, the reformed Sanctuary makes their first area appearance with great local support from Hollowstone, Avian, and Redshift. Japan’s Loudness kicks off a short run of U.S. dates at the Hi 5 Bar in Burnsville with Downtread opening the show. Meanwhile, Norway’s new buzz band Kvelertak (their new album Meir is reviewed here, 5/10) play the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis with Cancer Bats and Black Tusk. Fear not – Sanctuary will be done in time to get to the Hi 5 to see Loudness!!

Loudness performing May 19, 2011 at Ground Zero in Minneapolis. Click here for a review of this show with more pictures and the full audio download.

The audio of this old Nevermore show from The Politics Of Ecstasy tour is available here. A Sanctuary song was performed at this show!

On Sunday, April 28, locals Climactic are having an album release show for their Zerobudget Records debut Set The Rapture Ablaze at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis with Vessels For Our Ghost, We Are Legion, I Am Vengeance, and Earthrise.

For Misfits vocalist Michale Graves plays the Cause Spirits & Soundbar in Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 30 with Ripsnorter, Regenerators, and They Live. Across town at Station 4 in St. Paul the same night, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus headlines a show with Throw The Fight, Everysay, Imagine The Silence, The Phoenix Philosophy, and Charlie Siren.

The Garage in Burnsville has a huge metalcore bill on Thursday, May 2 with The Color Morale, My Ticket Home, Narrow Hearts, We Are The Blog, Broken City Skies, A Minor Set Back, Vessel For Tomorrow, In Search Of Solace, By The Thousands, and The Broken Are Crowned.

Album Review - KVELERTAK

Kvelertak - Meir

Roadrunner, 2013

5/10

Forget everything you’ve heard about this Norwegian group being black metal, it’s like calling Skid Row thrash metal. Sure, there’s some elements of black metal in spots, usually just some fast snare drumming, but that’s about it. Kvelertak’s second album owes a lot more to garage punk and hardcore than anything else. “Åpenbaring” is a decent if not somewhat mundane opening for Meir, but things get interesting quickly with “Spring Fra Livet”, a catchy little song with an amazing chorus. “Trepan” is another showcase for the unconventional writing style of Kvelertak; what starts off sounding like black metal suddenly morphs into a cool alternative rock vibe. The silly melody of “Bruane Brenn” doesn’t really work, while “Evig Vandrar” drags until a master guitar riff takes over the second half of the song. “Snilepisk” and “Månelyst” are more straightforward rock, and the sprawling, ambitious “Nekrokosmos” is all over the map. Some Thin LIzzy-style riffs make “Undertro” more interesting than most of the album but this energy can’t be maintained for over six minutes. Interest wanes by this point and the nearly nine minute-long “Tordenbrak” simply flies by before “Kvelertak” brings the album to a stomping close. Meir has some bright moments, but most of the album is too disjointed, confusing, and noisy. Kvelertak is onto a pretty unique sound, however, the lack of great songs ultimately fails to sustain my attention.

Kvelertak performs on Saturday, April 27 at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis with support from Cancer Bats and Black Tusk.

Concert Announcements - March 1, 2013

The concert calendar is starting fill out more as shows for the summer season start to filter in. First up with the new announcements are concerts for which tickets go on sale today, Friday, March 1 at 10:00 am:

Suicidal Tendencies, DRI, and Wake The Dead will play an 18+ show at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 16.

Kvelertak returns to the area for an 18+ headlining show with support from Cancer Bats on Saturday, April 27 at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis (tickets on sale for this one at 12:00 noon).

Papa Roach comes to the Mayo Civic Center Auditorium in Rochester for an all ages show with Escape The Fate and Otherwise on Tuesday, May 21. Tickets purchased today are only $14.99 - advance go up to $23 thereafter and $25 at the door.

The ever-bizarre Primus will play an all ages show at Myth in St. Paul on Saturday, June 1.

As mentioned in the presale announcement a couple days ago, the legendary Alice Cooper will play an all ages show at the State Theatre in Minneapolis on Sunday, July 14.

There's plenty of other recent metal concert news:

Heathenfest 4 featuring Einherjer, Sig:Ar:Tyr, Vanir, Ashaena, Trelleborg, Hammer Horde, Vesperia, Minos, Battlesoul, and Winterhymn on Saturday, March 9 at Station 4 in St. Paul has been CANCELLED. A FREE 16+ show is being lined up in its place with Minos and other bands to be announced. A February 13 post on the Einherjer Facebook page blames the cancellation on the promoter: "Ok, it seems we need to clear up any misunderstandings regarding the cancellation of our performance at Heathen Crusade. We are not able to perform because we didn't get any money from the promoter. No money for flights, no money for visas. We've tried our best to find a solution, but the deadline for the working visa application left us no choice but to cancel. We're really sorry it came to this....and we are just as pissed off as you are!!!" There's always two sides to any dispute like this (every band I've talked to loves working with SwordLord), but my guess is that it all comes down to weak advance ticket sales.

(hed)pe returns to St. Paul on Sunday, March 31 at Station 4 for an all ages show with Nuisance, Strate-Jak-It, and Angry Room.

Long-running death metal band Suffocation brings Exhumed, Jungle Rot, Rings Of Saturn, and Adimiron to Station 4 in St. Paul on Monday, April 8 for a 16+ show.

Within The Ruins and The Contortionist co-headline an all ages show with support from I Declare War, Reflections, and City In The Sea on Tuesday, April 9 at Station 4 in St. Paul.

Punk band The Casualties will be playing at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on Saturday, April 20.

Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy comes backs to Station 4 in St. Paul on Tuesday, May 7 with Krisiun, Aborted, Arsis, and Starkill.

Des Moines-based death metal band Amass The Grave plays Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, May 26 with The Curse Of Hail and Climactic for a 21+ show.

Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno will hit Neisen's in Savage on Wednesday, June 5.

Bang Tango plays the Hi 5 Bar in Burnsville on Thursday, June 6 with support from Metal Witch and Black Rainbow.

Former Guns 'N' Roses drummer Steven Adler brings his new band simply called Adler to Buster's in Mankato on Sunday, June 30.