IN FOCUS: THE LAST REIGN

The Last Reign are a melodic death metal band from the Buffalo, NY area, hearkening back to the sounds of the original Gothenburg, Sweden scene of the ‘90s – a group of bands who collectively pioneered the genre (At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork). Since their inception in the spring of 2015, the […]

INTERVIEW: PALE HELL (nu-mathcore)

1. How did you come up with the name Pale Hell? Alex: Charles and Wyatt came up with the name before I joined the band, so I’m honestly not sure. It’s kind of a mystery to me. Charles: Wyatt actually originally proposed the idea for that name. He saw the phrase used on Ricky Armellino’s […]

INTERVIEW: ORODRUIN (ROCHESTER DOOM LEGENDS)

Photo by Julia Rabkin* 1. Talk about the humble beginnings of Orodruin. How did the band first form? How long have you guys known each other, the story behind the name, etc. John: We started back around 1998. We all basically have known each-other all our lives. Nick is my cousin and Mike his best […]

INTERVIEW: SOPHIE WESSELHOFF (BLOOD DESECRATION)

photos by OOAK IMAGERY* If you’re familiar with, or remember the bands SPIT NICKELS (FFO: Motorhead) and UNDEAD MESSENGERS (symphonic metal), you’ll know John “JT” Taylor. He’s a well-known guy, stellar guitarist, and powerful harsh vocalist in the Central New York and Southern Tier NY metal scenes. His latest musical offering to the community is […]

INTERVIEW: CHRIS HULL (ANTHROPIC)

Immediately after our December 2022 printed issue went live online, Anthropic announced that they’d been signed to CDN RECORDS! Congrats, boys! Now back to the original interview, printed in late November 2022: This year’s METAL CLAUS is none other than CHRIS HULL from Buffalo, New York grindcore kings, ANTHROPIC!! Chris was one of three people […]

MIKE’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2022

Not that anyone asked my opinion about anything, but every year I make it a point to talk about my top picks. These are the albums that really jumped out at me this year and got my blood pumping. If you’re reading this and you have any thoughts on these records, drop me a message […]

BILLIE PAGE’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2022 (ALL LOCAL- wny)

For this top 5 of 2022 list I decided to keep it all local. We are very lucky in Buffalo to have such a plethora of amazing bands spanning aloe genres. I kept this list more hardcore and hardcore adjacent. All of these releases are streaming everywhere. Some of the physical releases sold out quickly […]

LILY LIVID’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2022

This year in music has had some incredible highs, and some devastating lows. From the passing of greats like Trevor Strnad and Taylor Hawkins, to all the amazing releases and performances that have been done by bands and artist both new and old alike. 2022 was a whirlwind, and in the spirit of such an […]

STUDIO OF NERDS: VINCE MAYER (DRUMMER @ GRIZZLY RUN)

WE’RE BACK! Just when you thought STUDIO OF NERDS was over for this month, we’ve got another unique take on the modern hardware and software of the music world from Vince Mayer (drummer of Grizzly Run, digital recording wiz, and mad scientist of elaborate light shows)!! 1. What first inspired you to start playing drums? […]

INTERVIEW: DESIGN THE VOID (METALCORE FROM KANE, PA)

Whenever the progressive metalcore kings from Kane, PA drop new tunes, I usually write about it. Their new vocalist, Jesse Isadore, has been one of my favorite harsh vocalists in this whole region since I met him in 2016. Combining their sound with ambient, ‘80s-influenced synth, this band is tearing down the proverbial walls of […]