Tri-State Rock - Latest Updates

The Contortionist have released a new music video today for "Causality" off their new record, "Intrinsic" which hits stores tomorrow. The much anticipated album has received rave reviews from both critics and fans alike and is expected to hold its ground as one of the most celebrated progressive metal releases of the year. 

Last week, I had all my shit turned upside-down.

There is no shortage of metal fans that were blindsided by Periphery’s 2010 self-titled debut record. The album was so tight that it showed the experience of a veteran band that had learned to play together seamlessly after decades of practice. That said, the anticipation and expectations surrounding the follow-up to Periphery  is intense and has been palpable for some time. Did they deliver?

Shit yeah, they did.

Late this afternoon, Periphery teased via their official Facebook page that they’d be making an album-related announcement at 7pm EST today. 7pm EST has since come and gone and we’re still waiting anxiously to see what the group has to offer.

When Cannibal Corpse and Between The Buried And Me were announced as the top two billed bands on the 2012 iteration of the Summer Slaughter Tour, metalheads nationwide rejoiced. 

Augusta, Maine’s progressive metal sextet, Last Chance To Reason, is one of the best bands that you’ve probably never heard of. I don't know that I’ve ever come across a band that has a more disproportionate level of skill to notoriety – and I’ll be doing what I can from here on out to remedy that!

Between the Buried and Me fans have a lot to be excited about lately.  The progressive metal band is scheduled to tour the US this summer providing direct support to Cannibal Corpse on the Summer Slaughter Tour.  The band has also been busy writing their new album, which hasn’t been titled yet (but may be "Parallax 2" or something like it), in their home state of North Carolina.  And now the globally celebrated innovators will return to Europe in October 2012 in support of their new album.

Hailing from Glasgow, UK, Cerebral Bore have been crowned the champions of the 2012 Summer Slaughter Tour opening slot contest. Formed in 2006, the band was signed to Earache Records in 2010 and has seen marked success in the metal/death scene ever since. Their label debut was released in 2011 and attaining the opening slot on this years hottest summer metal festival is likely to work wonders for the size of their fanbase. 

Cerebral Bore was up against some tough competition, including Battlecross, Pathology, Vildhjarta & several more. Providing support to metal giants Cannibal Corpse and prog.-metal masterminds Between The Buried And Me is an opportunity like none other for an emerging metal band - let's hope they don't fuck it up. 

The Summer Slaughter Tour has never been one to disappoint. With alumnus ranging from The Faceless and Born Of Osiris to The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel & many more, the tour has constantly provided fans with some of the best (and heaviest) metal out there. With much of the 2012 lineup recently announced, fans may rejoice once again because the roster is stacked. 

For the summer festivals 6th anniversary, some heavy hitters are coming out to tear your city to pieces. You're going to want to lace those boots up tight and get ready for a hell of a ride. As if headliners Cannibal Corpse weren't brutal enough, the sonic onslaught that co-headliners Between The Buried And Me delivers is what droves of fans typically pay full-price for and pack into sold-out shows for. Add to the equation Goatwhore, Exhumed, The Faceless, Periphery, Veil of Maya & Job For A Cowboy and I'm not sure whether to be excited to giddyness or frightened to death at what is going to transpire in the yet-to-be-determined Tri-State area venue in a few months.