A Sound Of Thunder - The Lesser Key Of Solomon

A Sound Of Thunder's Nina Osegueda is the secret ingredient in this metal formula that rocks the fuck out of you old school.It's not often that you come across a band that makes you go scrambling for your music player, thinking "woah, who is this?" but A Sound Of Thunder (ASOT) is just such a group. Screaming out of Washington, DC, this quartet is phenomenal. They smack of old school - not retro - as if their manager might be a rogue time lord (yeah, I made a Doctor Who reference, what of it?) who happened upon the 80s looking for tunes. Seriously, this band makes me imagine a parallel universe where Heart and Iron Maiden merge into one kick ass metal band and I can't recommend ASOT's fourth studio album, The Lesser Key Of Solomon highly enough.

The main ingredient in this heavy metal goulash is unequivocally the amazing Nina Osegueda, who packs about 7 feet of Viking shieldmaiden into her 5'2" frame, as illustrated on the last minute and a half of the moody Elijah. What a voice this woman has! But let's not forget the fantastic guitarwork of co-founder Josh Schwartz, whose razor sharp attack gives the band a sound that can hold up to any classic metal band of the last 40 years.

There's the usual material regarding dark and dreadful forces, including a Dio-worthy track, Master Of Pain. But look, this is just some classic American metal with a fantastic new voice in Miss Osegueda and you simply have to check them out if you're a fan of bands like Dio, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden or Motörhead. 'Nuff said.

The Bottom Line: If you're looking to rock the fuck out, old school like the pros, you can't go wrong propping open the windows with your Cerwin Vega speakers and cranking this shit up. I'll bring the beer!

- Genghis is still headbanging long after the music's been shut off...

Alteras Release New Video

Hey guys, want to check a fresh new band that rocks?  If so, click the link below and check out new comers Alteras and their track, Oh Tragedy, off of the Shapeshifter EP. 

 Here's the link to their new video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6yzyTl7a4c

-Ragman is diggin' this new band.

Podcast #181: Leatherface

Genghis & Ragman may not survive Halloween, but at least they have Pimples and John to get between them and Leatherface.Your old pals Genghis & Ragman have taken a break from the zombie menace this Hallow's Eve to check out some reports of strange sightings around the location of the classic 1974 horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Round Rock, Texas.

So with John and Pimples in tow, the lads rented a camper and hit the road into Texas hill country to see what's up, discuss their favorite horror movies, and get the usual reports of fellow Halloween warriors like this year's Mr. Lordi (Lordi) and Steve Blaze (Lillian Axe). It's a horror extravaganza! So, sharpen your machetes, cock your pistols and light those cigars, cuz it's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum...

Beer of the Show: Black O' Lantern (Wasatch Brewing Co.)
	Appearance: 3.5 Aroma: 3.0 Palate: 3.0 Taste: 3.5 Overall: 3.5	"This delicious pumpkin beer seems more like a porter than a stout, but it's perfect for the season."

Featured Tracks: Helloween - Halloween; Below - Trapped Underground; Arch Enemy - Graveyard Of Dreams; Black Tide - Bury Me; In Flames - Dead Eyes; Alice Cooper - Prince Of Darkness; Motionless In White - Dead As Fuck; Lillian Axe - Deep In The Black; Revocation - Witch Trials; Vesania - Fading

- Genghis hopes everyone made their way back home safe this year...

Podcast #181: Leatherface

Update on Monday, November 3, 2014 at 5:26PM by Genghis

Apparently, the original file was corrupted and may result in some incomplete playback. The corrected file has uploaded in its place, so GO GET IT!

Podcast #180: Dry

Join the lads as they do a dry run before this weekend's "festivities". Genghis & Ragman, that is, not Evergrey.The Halloween season is once again upon us, and it's time for Genghis & Ragman to exterminate some menaces to society in a little less than a week. Join the lads as they test the waters before taking on something bigger and badder than they've ever faced before while also discussing the pluses and minuses of the new digital age and whether it's harder for a band to make it today. Next, the boys welcome Tom Englund and Jonas Ekdahl from Evergrey to discuss their phenomenal new album Hymns for the Broken as well as what it's like to have the band back together.

Video of the Show:  Judas Priest - Live from the Download Festival 2011

Beer of the Show: Genghis Pecan - Pecan Pie Porter (Clown Shoes Brewery)
	Appearance: 3.0 Aroma: 3.0 Palate: 3.0 Taste: 3.0 Overall: 3.0	"Pecans may be the next pumpkin in terms of hot craft beer adjuncts, if this [awesomely-named] beer is any indication."

Featured Tracks: Lacuna Coil - Zombies; Judas Priest - Halls of Vahalla; AC/DC - Let's Get it Up; Orange Goblin - Mythical Knives; Islander - Coconut Dracula; Judas Priest - Hot Rockin'; Miss May I - Echos; Evergrey - Black Undertow, Hymns for the Broken & A New Dawn

Ragman's Classic of the Show: Queensryche - I Will Remember

Genghis' Classic of the Show: Dangerous Toys - Scared

Ragman's Pick of the Show: Jolly - You Against the World

Genghis' Pick of the Show: Kattah - Inside My Head

- Ragman is thinking this year may be tougher than past years...

Podcast #180: Dry

Nightglow - Orpheus

Italy is running away with 2014's metal god training ground title so far. Rest of the world: GET WITH IT!Italian band Nightglow means to take the world by storm with a sound that aspires to the great English metal acts of the 80s. But these guys throw a nice bit of modern sounds into the mix for a less retreaded sound; in the end you get an old sound/new sound mix of about 30/70.

So while there is an underlying current of that advertised 80s style sound, the low-end heavy production and gutteral screaming that comes out at times leans the overall impression to more modern sensibilities, but that isn't a complaint at all. I just didn't want to give the impression of getting an old Judas Priest sound when a souns more like Sevendust comes blowing out your speakers. All in all, this is some damn fine agro-metal, proving that Italy is this year's first place runner for amazing metal. Check 'em out.

The Bottom Line: If you dig an older sound but don't necessarily want to go too old school, Nightglow has the goods for rocking some metal tunes that don't sound like everybody else out there. Closest I can think is Iron Maiden crossed with Black Label Society (heavy on the BLS side in terms of guitar sound) with a hint of progmetal maybe? In any case, be prepared to mosh.

Tracks To Crank While Conditioning Your Leather Jacket: Fuck You, Liar & Stay With Me

- Genghis is almost ashamed to admit he's never owned a black leather jacket...