Tag Archives: melodic groove metal

Concert Review – Orbit Culture (The Opera House, Toronto, ON, 03/03/2026)

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Fans in Toronto witnessed a night of absolute heaviness and electricity at a jam packed The Opera House together with some of the must-see bands of the current scene.

OPENING ACTS: Atlas and Ov Sulfur

Temperatures are finally starting to rise in Toronto after one of the coldest and harshest winters in decades, and this Tuesday the mighty ORBIT CULTURE, supported by guests OV SULFUR and ATLAS, brought the heat to the cozy The Opera House during their North America 2026 tour. The venue was absolutely packed, and if I’m not mistaken my sources told me the whole event was around 16 tickets of being absolutely sold out, so we’re talking about almost 900 people taking every single space at the venue with no room for much movement. Not only that, Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi had to “fight” for space with other 11 photographers also covering the event in a tight area (with five security guys, by the way), and the merch line went from the bar next to the entrance all the way to the floor section. I have no idea when exactly merch became more important than the show itself, as I’m tired of seeing lots of people missing one or more attractions just to grab a shirt. Anyway, it is what it is. Event shirts are super cool, and buying them is extremely helpful for the musicians, so maybe we could all find a better or faster way for the merch line to move as we want to keep supporting all bands.

The first attraction of the night was Tampere, Finland-based Metalcore band ATLAS, often stylized in all caps, who self-describe their sound as “Northcore,” which is basically a mix of heavy, melodic Metalcore with atmospheric, immersive soundscapes. Having recently released the album Sunder, available on Spotify or any other streaming service, the band formed of vocalist Patrik Nuorteva, vocalist and bassist Leevi Luoto, guitarists Kevin Apostol and Tuomas Kurikka, and drummer Aku Karjalainen put on a solid performance for an already packed venue, working as a more-than-effective warmup for Ov Sulfur and Orbit Culture. Well, as I like to say, wake me up when a metal band from Finland sounds boring or tiresome onstage. They always kick ass, ATLAS included, and I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more from those guys in the near future.

Setlist
Sermon of the Dying Light
Tower
Coven of Two
Anodyne
I Whisper Your Name Like a Curse
Uni
Ukko
Salt and Sulfur
Outro

Band members
Patrik Nuorteva – vocals
Leevi Luoto – vocals, bass
Kevin Apostol – guitar
Tuomas Kurikka – guitar
Aku Karjalainen – drums

The whole place was already swarming with fans when Las Vegas, Nevada’s own Blackened Deathcore beast OV SULFUR hit the stage with their pulverizing performance, making The Opera House tremble to their undisputed heaviness. Spearheaded by the unstoppable frontman Ricky Hoover, the band has just started touring to promote their fresh out of the oven album Endless (available on BandCamp and on Spotify), and let me tell you that the new songs from the album worked extremely well live. Ricky and his henchmen Christian Becker and Chase Wilson on the guitars, Josh Bearden on bass, and Leviathvn on drums were on fire from start to finish; however, the fact the venue was jam packed made it a bit hard for fans to start any circle pits. There was a lot of headbanging and horns raising, of course, and the lights also helped turn their show into a multi-sensorial experience. It’s really nice to see Ov Sulfur hitting bigger stages every single time they visit Toronto, not only because they’re awesome, but also because Toronto loves that type of Deathcore, blending sheer savagery with tons of different emotions.

Setlist
Endless//Godless
Seed
Stained in Rot
Befouler
Death Ov Circumstance
Wither
Forlorn
Vast Eternal
Evermore

Band members
Ricky Hoover – vocals
Christian Becker – guitars
Chase Wilson – guitars
Josh Bearden – bass
Leviathvn – drums

ORBIT CULTURE

Another quick break (while countless fans were still braving the massive merch lines), and it was time for Eksjö, Sweden-based Melodic Death/Groove Metal titans ORBIT CULTURE to crush our souls with their breathtaking performance. Having recently released the excellent Death Above Life, which you can find on BandCamp and on Spotify, the indomitable Niklas Karlsson, Richard Hansson, Fredrik Lennartsson and Christopher Wallerstedt put a huge smile on the faces of their avid Toronto fans, with absolutely no room to breathe during their entire concert. Songs like Death Above Life, Bloodhound, Hydra and While We Serve sounded insane onstage, and after the closing song Vultures of North was over the happiness on everyone’s faces was outstanding. This was not only the band’s first ever headlining concert in the city, but by far their strongest and most dynamic one as well, proving they’re becoming a reference in the style and, therefore, gaining more and more attention from fans worldwide. I doubt it will take long for those Swedish rockers to return to Toronto, and I bet next time their concert will be even bigger, heavier and more electrifying.

Setlist
Death Above Life
The Storm
The Tales of War
North Star of Nija
Saw
From the Inside
Bloodhound
The Shadowing
Open Eye
While We Serve
Hydra
Vultures of North

Band members
Niklas Karlsson – vocals, guitars
Richard Hansson – lead guitars
Fredrik Lennartsson – bass
Christopher Wallerstedt – drums

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Metal Chick of the Month – Jessy “Christ” Vignolle

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Ego sum (qui sum)!

Are you ready to burn in the fires of extreme music together with our metal lady of this month of February here on The Headbanging Moose? I’m sure you are, and get ready as her incendiary vocals will melt not only any snow left from this harsh winter, but also your faces, leaving you completely disoriented after all is said and done. She’s an Extreme Metal vocalist, an opera singer, a soprano, a singing teacher, an actress, and a vocal coach, making the whole world of heavy music a much better place for us fans of hypnotizing and powerful vocals. Her name is Jessy Vignolle, sometimes referred to as Jessy “Christ” Vignolle, or simply Jessy Christ, the frontwoman for French metal sensation Usquam, and once you know more about her life, her career and her music, you’ll certainly get addicted to her distinct voice, charisma, and aggression.

Hailing from Paris, France, Jessy has been a curious child from the early age of eleven, discovering her passion for music through the guitar, piano, and singing without a defined direction, exploring everything from classical to rock. All that passion led to her first ever concert as a singer and guitarist at the age of 13, joining her first band a year later. Exploring multiple musical styles including Pop, Jazz, Indian music, Celtic music, and many more, while also drawing inspiration from all their unique characteristics (which she sees as future strengths), Jessy enrolled in musicology and earned a bachelor’s degree in musicology, a master’s degree in artistic supervision, and a master’s degree in artistic engineering. At the same time, she pursued a professional career in classical music, studying operatic singing at the Savigny-le-Temple Conservatory in Paris under Véronique Laguerre and joining the Che Calda Voce opera company led by Laura Marin. Not only that, she also made her mark in the rock and metal music scene, performing on numerous French stages such as La Cigale, La Boule Noire, and La Machine du Moulin Rouge, among others, as well as at festivals.

It was not too long ago, in the not-so-distant year of 2024, when Jessy joined Usquam as their new vocalist replacing Lucas Henry. Formed in 2018, this Paris, France-based Melodic Black Metal band released in 2021 their debut EP Reborn, followed by their fantastic first full-length opus Ex Nihilo, in 2025, already with Jessy stealing the spotlight with her undisputed vocals. Exploring the secrets of dark music, inspired by the observation of a world oscillating between decline and progress, the band currently formed of our metal lady Jessy on vocals alongside Eithenn and Draugr on the guitars, and Alwan on bass aims at spreading their dark philosophy all across the world, and you can get a very good taste of their music on YouTube, BandCamp, and Spotify, enjoy their official videos for the songs Arcana Nox, Altar Ego and Ego Sum (Qui Sum), and keep an eye on their social media for their live performances, in special if you live in France.

Apart from her promising career with Usquam, Jessy can also be found as a guest and as a live vocalist (under the moniker J.V.) for French Black Metal entity NZGL, founded by vocalist, guitarists and bassist Gaël Liger, recording vocals and having also written some of the lyrics for their 2025 album Tales from the Pale Moon… And Other Stories, available on both BandCamp and on Spotify. In addition, she’s also involved with an Industrial/Gothic Rock band named Syndro-syS since 2013, having released with the band the 2015 album Corporation, available on BandCamp. The band doesn’t seem to be active anymore, as they’ve been dead silent since around 2020, but the music is still great and definitely deserves our attention. Who knows, maybe we can all inspire Jessy and Syndro-syS to get back in action if we listen to their music enough, right?

Anyway, Jessy can also be seen as a guest musician to a few very interesting bands and projects since the beginning of her undisputed career. For instance, she recorded all female vocals for the 2022 EP Exist in Ruin, by American Symphonic Black/Death Metal project Exist in Ruin; vocals for the songs Kimi Ga Yo, Seducing Dementia and Whispering Clouds, from the 2013 album Les 12 vertiges, and for the song Hate Me, from the 2019 album Le festin du lion, by French Electronic Industrial Metal act Herrschaft; vocals for the song L’étranger, from the 2018 album Standalone Episodes, by French Progressive Heavy Metal band Seasons; and vocals for the song The Edge of Time, from the 2015 album Symbiosis, by French Melodic Death/Groove Metal act T.A.N.K. Not only that, she also worked as a vocal coach for French Black Metal horde Houle in their 2022 self-titled EP, and their 2024 album Ciel cendre et misère noire.

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An opera singer, soprano and vocal coach, , as already mentioned, Jessy is more than a passionate musician, offering an array of services to accompany most types of celebrations including baptisms, weddings, funerals and tributes, as well as private events, supported by a varied repertoire of sacred music, operas and popular music, such as Ave Maria (Franz Schubert), Voi che Sapete (Wolfgang A. Mozart), When I am Laid (Henry Purcell), La Vie en Rose (Edith Piaf), Someone Like You (Adele), S’il Suffisait d’Aimer (Celine Dion), and many more, always delivering every piece with a ton of emotion to retrace your most beautiful memories. Not only that, she also lends her voice, composes and also collaborates with many international musical projects, just like her guest contributions to the aforementioned metal bands.

As a vocal coach and singing teacher, she will help you understand vocal technique and discover your voice, whether you are a beginner, an artist, or a professional speaker, using a personalized teaching approach that adapts to your needs, mastering several techniques that intertwine theoretical knowledge of the instrument and live practice. Jessy teaches artists and private individuals, always keeping in mind that each student is a unique individual with their own aspirations and energy. Since 2022, she coaches magistrates at the Paris, Angers, and Rennes Courts of Appeal to help them develop their voices as a professional tool. Furthermore, she incorporates elements of the Alexander Technique (a psycho-physical re-education method that improves posture, reduces tension, and enhances performance by teaching musicians to move with more awareness and ease) into her practice to give her students the tools to understand the fundamental mechanisms of their instrument and develop their autonomy.

If you think that’s not enough, Jessy is also an actress, embodying the voice that will bring your audiovisual production to life through voice-over or dubbing, for example, and she participates in some classical concerts within the network of conservatories in the Grand Paris Sud region. Moreover, apart from her private lessons as already mentioned, she also organizes and hosts conferences, masterclasses and workshops. You can enjoy several of her works on the Productions page on her own website, from video clips to short stories and TV ads. But wait, as there’s still more. Jessy has also embarked on a new endeavor, creating her own herbal tea intended for singers, voice professionals and all food lovers, having selected herbs with virtues recognized by voice specialists and entrusted the preparation of the recipe to Happy Plantes, a company of passionate herbalists, very involved in ethical production. The final product is named Élixir du chanteur, and you can get your own package from Jessy’s Big Cartel. The tea can be enjoyed as a snack or as a treatment for those who wish to prevent issues like vocal fatigue, respiratory tract, gastric protection, hoarseness, and so on,  all certified from organic farming.

I told you that after knowing more about the indomitable Jessy “Christ” Vignolle you would get more than addicted to her voice, her music, her charisma, and maybe even to her herbal tea), and as long as she keeps firing her whimsical and hypnotizing vocals together with Usquam or any other band or project, we can rest assured the entire world of music will be a much better place. Would it be too much to ask Jessy and Usquam for a US and Canada tour? I’m beyond certain the fans on this side of the pond would go mental with their music. Thank you, Jessy, for your amazing contributions to music in general, and for making heavy music a much better place with your badass attitude. À plus tard!

Jessy “Christ” Vignolle’s Official Facebook page
Jessy “Christ” Vignolle’s Official Instagram
Jessy “Christ” Vignolle’s Official YouTube channel
Usquam’s Official Facebook page
Usquam’s Official Instagram
Usquam’s Official YouTube channel

Album Review – 5RAND / Ordhalia (2025)

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Offering an overdose of crushing riffs, cinematic atmospheres, and the fierce duality of clean and growl vocals, this Italian outfit is out for blood armed with their incendiary third full-length album.

With a story that began with a unique twist of fate, a chance meeting with a Shaman and a South African 5Rand coin, Rome, Italy-based Melodic Death/Groove Metal/Deathcore outfit 5RAND has been carving a unique space in the metal scene with their blend of Deathcore aggression with the emotional depth of melodeath, offering an overdose of crushing riffs, cinematic atmospheres, and the fierce duality of clean and growl vocals by frontwoman Julia Elenoir. Now in 2025 the band formed of Julia alongside guitarist Pierluigi Carocci, bassist Acey Guns and drummer Andrea De Carolis is ready to take the world of heavy music by storm once again with Ordhalia, their third full-length opus, the follow-up to their excellent 2019 sophomore Dark Mother, and a must-listen for fans of modern and vibrant heavy music.

The cinematic intro Lullaby for the Broken effectively invites the listener to the world of 5RAND before all hell breaks loose in Bloodlife, with Andrea kicking some ass behind his drums while Julia fires deep, enraged roars in the best she-wolf style, accompanied by the caustic riffs by Pierluigi. The title-track Ordhalia starts in a more serene, pensive manner, again exploding into a visceral fusion of Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore with Andrea hammering his drums mercilessly; followed by The Nihilist, featuring Milo Silvestro of Fear Factory, who makes a fantastic vocal duet with Julia, with both their clean and harsh vocals walking hand in hand in the name of extreme music. And Pierluigi’s minimalist guitar lines and Acey’s somber, menacing bass set the tone in Double Bind, a mid-tempo, headbanging chant that will please all fans of modern-day Metalcore.

Julia continues to scream like a blood-soaked Valkyrie in Turbid while her bandmates generate a vibrant hurricane of Melodic Death Metal armed with their scorching instruments, whereas Acey fires more of his cryptic bass lines in Ritual of Silence, with the band’s blend of classic and modern heavy music sounding very exciting. Then all background sounds give Lethargy an epic and vibrant vibe, with Pierluigi firing his heaviest riffs of the entire album, consequently inspiring Julia to roar manically for our absolute delight, while Resurge in Death is by far the most generic and uninspired of all songs, despite still showcasing a striking guitar solo by Pierluigi. Lastly, the band gets back on track with Silent Line, offering a progressive and intricate fusion of melodeath with contemporary heavy music where Julia is once again fantastic with both her she-devil gnarls and whimsical clean vocals.

More than just a band, 5RAND are a creative force blending music and visual art, connecting deeply with their growing fanbase, and the excellence found in their new album Ordhalia will undoubtedly help them in keep building a loyal international following and performing alongside legends the likes of Dark Tranquillity, Vader, Immolation, Butcher Babies and Infected Rain. Such a promising name of the Italian modern metal scene can be found on Facebook and on Instagram, where you can stay up to date with their news and live concerts, you can also enjoy their music on any streaming platform like Spotify, and obviously purchase the electrifying Ordhalia from Big Cartel and other online retailers. 5RAND are out for blood armed with Ordhalia, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for those restless Italian rockers.

Best moments of the album: Bloodlife, The Nihilist and Lethargy.

Worst moments of the album: Resurge in Death.

Released in 2025 Art Gates Records

Track listing
1. Lullaby for the Broken 1:09
2. Bloodlife 3:30
3. Ordhalia 4:27
4. The Nihilist 3:12
5. Double Bind 4:30
6. Turbid 4:03
7. Ritual of Silence 3:54
8. Lethargy 3:43
9. Resurge in Death 3:40
10. Silent Line 4:19

Band members
Julia Elenoir – vocals
Pierluigi Carocci – guitar
Acey Guns – bass
Andrea De Carolis – drums

Guest musician
Milo Silvestro – vocals on “The Nihilist”

Album Review – Phenomy / Phantasmagoria (2025)

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This unrelenting Lebanese outfit is back with their their distinctive fusion of Melodic Thrash, Groove, and Heavy Metal in their fourth studio album.

Formed in 2014 in Beirut, Lebanon, the unrelenting Thrash Metal squad known as Phenomy is ready to kill armed with their their distinctive fusion of Melodic Thrash, Groove, and Heavy Metal in their new offering, titled Phantasmagoria, the fourth studio album in their career, and the follow-up to their 2022 opus Syndicate of Pain. Produced, mixed and mastered by Jaroslav Celujko and Loïc El Haddad at Jaro Sound, recorded at Ontune Studio (vocals and bass), at Grotesque Productions (guitars), and at Sound Pressure Studios (drums), and displaying a modern yet dark artwork by Stefan Koidl, the new album by vocalist and guitarist Sam Felfy, guitarist Loïc El Haddad, bassist Peter Aoun, and drummer Rudy Bejjani sees the band take a solid step further in their career, positioning them as a driving force hailing from the Lebanese metal community.

The cinematic intro Prologue invites us to Phenomy’s dark and venomous realm in Hush, where they put the pedal to the metal and fire a striking fusion of Melodic Death, Thrash and Groove Metal led by the thunderous drums by Rudy. Then the bass by Peter sounds utterly metallic in Sins Of The Father, featuring vocalists Ricardo A. Haila and Léa Wardini, while Loïc keeps firing his trademark thrashing riffs. Shellshock Paradise starts in a melancholic vibe before evolving into a dark ballad by the band led by Sam’s deep, anguished vocals, whereas Gambit brings hints of the music from their homeland mixed with traditional Groove Metal, with the riffs and solos by Sam and Loïc exhaling passion. Then in Mad Man’s Waltz they tried to sound too much like Avatar, but the final result is not compelling nor vibrant at all.

Back to a much heavier, more exciting sound we face Swallow The Fear, with their riffs and beats walking hand in hand with the Machine Head-like vocals by Sam, and it’s time to jump up and down with the quartet in the Groove Metal extravaganza Sacrilège, once again showcasing nuances of the music form their own country, in special in its riffs. Phantasmagoria is another song with a cryptic intro that evolves into a progressive version of their Groove Metal, all embraced by Rudy’s classic drumming, followed by the seven-minute instrumental piece A Dream Within A Dream, and although I’m not a big fan of long instrumental songs, this one is quite entertaining. There’s still time for the sinister interlude Abel and The Frail, where the serene vocals by Sam warm up our hearts and souls before I, Witness concludes the album on a high and violent mode, undoubtedly the most thrilling song of all, with Sam’s guttural matching perfectly with the hurricane of sounds blasted by Loïc, Peter and Rudy.

Exploring themes ranging from personal struggles to societal and existential conflicts, Phenomy are on absolute fire throughout their newborn spawn, bringing their trademark heaviness, groove and melodic sounds to our avid ears in great fashion. Hence, you can get to know more about those talented metallers by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, including their live performances, stream all of their albums on any available platform such as Spotify, and of course grab a copy of the album from the Art Gates Records webstore as a CD + shirt bundle or as a CD + shirt + hoodie bundle or you can also click HERE. Phantasmagoria is undoubtedly the band’s strongest effort to date, and based on the quality of the music found in it I believe it won’t take long for such an excellent band to strike us once again with an incendiary album number five.

Best moments of the album: Sins Of The Father, Swallow The Fear and I, Witness.

Worst moments of the album: Mad Man’s Waltz.

Released in 2025 Art Gates Records

Track listing
1. Prologue 1:12
2. Hush 3:23
3. Sins Of The Father 4:20
4. Shellshock Paradise 4:57
5. Gambit 7:18
6. Mad Man’s Waltz 3:28
7. Swallow The Fear 4:42
8. Sacrilège 3:54
9. Phantasmagoria 4:46
10. A Dream Within A Dream 7:11
11. Abel and The Frail 3:55
12. I, Witness 4:35

Band members
Sam Felfy – vocals, guitar
Loïc El Haddad – guitar
Peter Aoun – bass
Rudy Bejjani – drums

Guest musicians
Ricardo A. Haila – vocals on “Sins Of The Father”
Léa Wardini – vocals on “Sins Of The Father”

Album Review – Orbit Culture / Death Above Life (2025)

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Sweden’s own Melodic Death and Groove Metal titans return from the frozen north with their incendiary fifth full-length album.

Beware of the antlers, as Eksjö, Sweden’s own Melodic Death/Groove Metal titans Orbit Culture return from the frozen north with their fifth full-length album aptly titled Death Above Life, following up on their critically acclaimed 2023 opus Descent. Produced, mixed and mastered by Buster Odeholm at Odeholm Audio, and adorned by a Stygian artwork by Miroslav Pecho, the new offering by vocalist and guitarist Niklas Karlsson, guitarist Richard Hansson, bassist Fredrik Lennartsson, and drummer Christopher Wallerstedt offers more of their trademark fusion of Thrash, Death, Groove and Industrial Metal with arresting hooks and a layered atmosphere that invites comparison to Gojira, Metallica and Static-X, while carving out something that is uniquely their own.

The band wastes no time and kick off the album on a violent mode with Inferna, where Niklas and Richard steal the show with their utterly metallic riffage in its almost seven minutes of first-class Swedish melodeath. Christopher then sounds like an out-of-control stone crusher in Bloodhound, adding endless aggressiveness to their sound while also matching perfectly with Niklas demented roars; whereas Inside the Waves offers a more modernized version of American Metalcore, an excellent option for setting fire to their live performances. In The Tales of War we face poetic lyrics declaimed by Niklas (“Chasing a dark storm, no reason to be here / Escaping the temple of fear / I forfeit, the summoning time, the chasing of healing shrines / Through darkness I was led through the lanes”) amidst a pure headbanging extravaganza, and again venturing through contemporary Groove Metal we’re treated to Hydra, while of course staying true to their roots. Furthermore, the bass by Fredrik will hammer your skull mercilessly.

It’s pedal to the metal in the high-octane melodeath feast entitled Nerve, led by the striking vocals by Niklas and the band’s spot-on backing vocals, all spiced up by the killer guitar solos by Richard. Death Above Life brings forward another round of their pensive yet acid words (“Alternation / Stuck in a war / No path to follow / Through chaos made up / My mind is done / In this cave of black dust, kill / It aims for the heart”), a neck-breaking tune that flirts with modern Death Metal at times; and get ready to be caught in a mosh pit storm to the sound of The Storm, where their riffs sound brutally awesome supported by the pounding drums by Christopher. More of their ass-kicking guitar lines will penetrate your mind in Neural Collapse, all boosted by Niklas’ vicious guttural, whereas lastly we have The Path I Walk, and I have no idea what their goal was with this tune. They sound like the more modern version of Metallica, which is never a good choice to be fair.

“The album represents change, a new beginning,” says guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Niklas Karlsson. “It brings up a lot of good and bad emotions but it’s a big change for the better. It feels like a rebirth.” Hence, if just like the guys from Orbit Culture you also want to experience such a metallic rebirth you can follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, staying up to date with their news and tour dates, stream their already dense discography on Spotify, and of course grab your copy of the excellent Death Above Life from their own BandCamp, as well as from the album’s special website, or by clicking HERE or HERE. There’s a thin line between life and death, but in the end death always prevail, in special when the soundtrack to it is as exciting and heavy as the new album by one of the torchbearers of the new Swedish melodeath scene.

Best moments of the album: Bloodhound, The Tales of War and The Storm.

Worst moments of the album: The Path I Walk.

Released in 2025 Century Media Records

Track listing
1. Inferna 6:45
2. Bloodhound 5:04
3. Inside the Waves 4:39
4. The Tales of War 5:10
5. Hydra 4:49
6. Nerve 5:54
7. Death Above Life 5:31
8. The Storm 4:16
9. Neural Collapse 6:21
10. The Path I Walk 4:55

Band members
Niklas Karlsson – vocals, guitars
Richard Hansson – lead guitars
Fredrik Lennartsson – bass
Christopher Wallerstedt – drums

Concert Review – Machine Head (History, Toronto, ON, 04/28/2025)

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Monday nights are always boring, except when you have four of the must-see bands of the current metal scene worldwide kicking some serious ass in the city.

OPENING ACTS: Unearth, Lacuna Coil and In Flames

What a night of modern and electrifying heavy music at the always amazing History this Monday during the North American Tour 2025 spearheaded by MACHINE HEAD, with special guests UNEARTH, LACUNA COIL and IN FLAMES, and despite the insane traffic in the city and the fact it was a Monday night, we can say it was a nearly sold out event where every single person at the venue had a phenomenal time, including Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I, of course. History is also a great venue for concerts because not only there are plenty of restaurants in the neighborhood, but they also have a few food options inside, like pizza for example, something not common at most venues in Toronto. This means that if you’re running late to any concert but you need to eat something beforehand, you don’t need to waste any second searching for food outside the venue. Simply get inside, and enjoy a slice of pizza while watching your favorite bands playing.

The doors opening at 5pm, when most people were still at work, plus the first band of the night, Boston, Massachusetts-based Metalcore outfit UNEARTH, kicking off their show already at the early time of 6pm, was kind of a bummer as a lot of people ended up missing their show, including myself, and I was very disappointed with that because their 2023 album The Wretched; The Ruinous is a real banger and I was eager to see them playing some of those not-so-new tunes live alongside some older meterial (although their short onstage time didn’t allow them to play their regular full setlist, of course). Well, Keith said they were beyond ruthless onstage led by their rabid frontman Trevor Phipps, already igniting some sick mosh pits in the floor section, and if you also missed those guys live on Monday at least we can enjoy their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, and patiently wait for the next time they pay a visit to Toronto. Hopefully at a later time slot.

Setlist
The Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News song)
My Will Be Done
This Lying World
The Wretched; The Ruinous
Giles
Incinerate
Black Hearts Now Reign

Band members
Trevor Phipps – vocals
Buz McGrath – guitars
Peter Layman – guitars
Chris O’Toole – bass
Mike Justian – drums

Luckily, I made it just in time for the superb performance by Italian Alternative Rock/Metal icons LACUNA COIL, more specifically three minutes before they took the stage by storm with their endless charisma, undeniable talent, and highly addictive, catchy tunes, most of them from their brand new album Sleepless Empire (available on all streaming services like Spotify), including the excellent Hosting the Shadow, Gravity, I Wish You Were Dead, and Oxygen. Damn, those tunes sounded amazing live. The beyond stunning diva Cristina Scabbia (she looks younger than ever, by the way) and the enigmatic, sinister Andrea Ferro drove fans wild during their set, making a more-than-dynamic duo onstage for the delight of everyone who enjoys this type of “Beauty and the Beast” vocal attack. As usual, the duo was effectively supported by their bandmates Daniele Salomone, Marco Coti Zelati and Richard Meiz, enhancing the band’s energy and punch and, therefore, inspiring everyone to raise their horns and sing all songs along with Cristina and Andrea. Lacuna Coil are a must-see band of the current scene, and I can’t wait to see them again in the near future. Needless to say, next time they deserve their own headlining tour, so we can enjoy a lot more of their hypnotizing creations.

Setlist
Intro
Layers of Time
Reckless
Hosting the Shadow
Gravity
Our Truth
Blood, Tears, Dust
I Wish You Were Dead
Oxygen
Never Dawn

Band members
Cristina Scabbia – vocals
Andrea Ferro – vocals
Daniele Salomone – guitars
Marco Coti Zelati – bass, keyboards
Richard Meiz – drums

It was already past 8pm when Sweden’s own Melodic Groove Metal/Metalcore/Alternative Rock titans IN FLAMES began their incendiary performance at History (pun intended), already melting our faces with one of their most electrifying songs ever, Cloud Connected. Frontman Anders Fridén and his henchmen, including the fantastic axeman Chris Broderick, showed no mercy for our souls, delivering hit after hit, with the newer songs from their 2023 album Foregone (also available on Spotify), like In the Dark and Meet Your Maker, blending perfectly with their classics and, consequently, igniting some insane circle pits that were nicely acknowledged by Anders. Not only that, he was also on fire with his dark Swedish humor, making an even stronger connection with the crowd. For instance, he noticed one fan was singing ALL songs perfectly at the barrier, so he said he should not screw up any song otherwise that fan would catch his error. The ending with I Am Above and My Sweet Shadow was epic, and I must say their concert this Monday night might have been their best in the city to date. In Flames certainly love Toronto, and we love them back, which means it won’t take long for the band to kick our asses again with another unrelenting concert in the near future.

Setlist
Cloud Connected
Take This Life
Deliver Us
In the Dark
Voices
Coerced Coexistence
Bullet Ride
Trigger
Meet Your Maker
State of Slow Decay
The Mirror’s Truth
I Am Above
My Sweet Shadow

Band members
Anders Fridén – vocals
Björn Gelotte – guitars
Chris Broderick – guitars
Liam Wilson – bass
Tanner Wayne – drums

MACHINE HEAD

Finally, after an avalanche of first-class heavy music from different parts of the world, the main attraction of the night, Oakland, California’s own Groove/Thrash Metal brigade MACHINE HEAD kicked off their electrifying concert to finish destroying anyone who dared to face some wild mosh pits during the execution of their hard hitting tunes. Robb Flynn, Reece Scruggs, Jared MacEachern and Matt Alston were unstoppable onstage, kindly asking every single fan to keep their phones in their pockets and simply have an amazing time with them, banging their heads, slamming into the pit, having a beer and raising their fists in the air. Blending classics the likes of Locust and Bulldozer with several songs form their new opus Unatoned (also spelled UNATØNED, and of course available on Spotify), released this past Friday April 25, such as ØUTSIDER and BØNESCRAPER, the band put on a phenomenal concert that made a boring Monday night feel like a metallic party on a Saturday.

They’ve been on the road since 1991, but their passion for heavy music is so strong it felt like they were just newcomers full of energy and ready to kick our asses. The circle pit action was intense, Robb kept throwing beer to the fans and having a lot of fun interacting with everyone, including a little kid at the back of the balcony section (showing he’s a guy that pays attention to EVERYONE who attends a Machine Head concert), and the background screen, lighting and smoke added an extra touch of insanity to their show. In the end, after they played the classic Halo, they stayed a little longer throwing countless guitar picks and drumsticks to the crowd, who was brave enough to stay at the venue until the very end, already past 11pm on a Monday night. I guess even if they had stayed there until 2 or 3am the fans would have also been there to support them, because this is how superb heavy music is done. Played live, played loud, and with a beautiful connection between the artist and their fans. Thank you, Machine Head, and rest assured whenever you return to Toronto, we’ll all be there for you.

Setlist
Diary of a Madman (Ozzy Osbourne song)
In Comes the Flood
Imperium
Ten Ton Hammer
CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE
Now We Die
Catharsis
NØT LØNG FØR THIS WØRLD
ØUTSIDER
Locust
BØNESCRAPER
Declaration
Bulldozer
From This Day
Davidian

Encore:
Halo

Band members
Robb Flynn – vocals, guitars
Reece Scruggs – guitars
Jared MacEachern – bass, backing vocals
Matt Alston – drums, percussion

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Metal Chick of the Month – Miss ScarRed

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Hear me, I’m here inside… Take a breath… Bring me to life!

It’s time to make things red, and I mean REALLY RED, here on The Headbanging Moose thanks to our metal lady of this always hot and sunny month of June, but before I say anything about her I have a very easy question for you. Do you know what The Headbanging Moose and Nuking Moose have in common, apart from two badass names and an endless passion for heavy music? The answer is quite obvious, it’s our total admiration for the breathtaking frontwoman Miss ScarRed, also known as Liz, a multi-talented singer, songwriter and vocal coach known for fronting the aforementioned Nuking Moose, as well as another project named Chaos Rising and her own solo band, and a woman who will set fire to whatever stage she steps on with her undeniable talent. In other words, I’m sure you’ll love to see everything “red” after our humble tribute to her.

Hailing from Hamburg, a major port city in northern Germany, Miss ScarRed is a rising force in the Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore and Deathcore scenes, delivering soaring vocals that walk hand in hand with the heaviness, melody and rage flowing from the music played by her bandmates. Her first official release in the metal world was back in September 2021, when Chaos Rising, a collaborative international Groove/Thrash/Heavy/Melodic Death Metal project formed in 2019 open to every female artist interested in metal music, released the single Prisoner, featuring our beloved diva on vocals (and songwriting) alongside French multi-instrumentalist Stéphanie Nolf (of Syrinx and Unsafe, who’s also by the way the founder and manager of Chaos Rising) on bass and drum programming, British multi-instrumentalist Catherine Fearns on the guitars, and Serbian guitarist Aleksandra Stamenković (aka Alexandra Lioness, of Jenner and Sigma Epsilon) also on the guitars. All releases by Chaos Rising, featuring an array of talented women, can be found on BandCamp and on Spotify under an album titled The Singles, including of course the song with Miss ScarRed on vocals, and I’m sure we’ll soon see another striking song fronted by her under such an amazing and important project for all women who love heavy music.

Apart from her involvement with Chaos Rising, Miss ScarRed was also the vocalist for a Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany-based Symphonic Metal band named Aeternitas between 2021 and 2022, until they disbanded in 2022 after decades of existence, as the band was originally formed back in 1999. Miss ScarRed ended up being their very last female vocalist, having released with them the single Shadows back in November 2021, the band’s last song before calling it quits. I wish we could have more of Aeternitas with her on vocals because the final result in Shadows is really compelling, but of course I understand there are things that happen inside countless bands out there that are out of anyone’s control.

Finally, let’s talk a little about Miss ScarRed’s main band, the ruthless Nuking Moose. Formed in 2013 in Bremen, a city straddling the Weser River in northwest Germany, Nuking Moose play a thrilling fusion of Melodic Death and Groove Metal highly recommended for fans of bands like Jinjer and The Agonist, having released the EP Into the Abyss back in 2018, and the full-length album Ritual, in 2023, this one already featuring Miss ScarRed on vocals. After the pandemic hit, their previous vocalist Lars Michalsky (who had been with the band since 2017) left Nuking Moose in 2022, vacating the position for our red-haired growler to join guitarists Lennart Godt and Lennart Jabben, bassist Kevin “Moshi” Schmidt, and drummer Arne Godt in their quest for heavy music.

“Our old singer moved away for professional reasons and we were forced to look for a replacement. We were lucky that Liz was looking for a new band herself at the same time we were looking for a singer. The internet brought us together and Liz won us over straight away. It was always important to us to have someone on the microphone who could shout/grow but also sing cleanly and melodically. We found Liz to be the right person,” commented the band about their new vocalist, complementing by saying that “the fact that she drove from her home near Hamburg to Bremen for rehearsals every week left no doubt that she was serious about the band. Luckily, she now lives closer to Bremen. In addition to her musical ability, Liz also brought a lot of experience from the professional music business with her. That was a great stroke of luck for us, because the rest of us only got into music as a hobby.”

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After being joined by Miss ScarRed (or in the case of Nuking Moose, they prefer calling her just as Liz), the band was able to reach the desired shape and form of their sound, sounding modern without sounding too polished at the same time, as well as hard and rough but with the melodic touch of Liz on vocals. As already mentioned, Nuking Moose released last year the album Ritual, featuring Liz on vocals, and let me tell you that it’s one hell of an album with no fillers, only killers. In case you’re curious to listen to it, you can find the album in full on different streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, and also watch on YouTube the official video for the title-track Ritual, the lyric video for the song Values, and a “making of” for the entire album.

One name that might eventually pop up whenever you search for information about Nuking Moose is the one of Martin Kesici, and that’s because he’s nothing more, nothing less than Liz’s partner, apart of course for being a rock musician and radio host who became known in 2003 as one of the winners of the casting show Star Search. He’s become a friend of the guys from Nuking Moose, being involved in their day-to-day activities as for example being responsible for the mixing of the live recordings of one of their concerts. And speaking about live recordings, you can enjoy Liz and the boys kicking some ass with the songs Message To The Dead and Rusty Giant, both rehearsal room recordings. “The rehearsal room recordings were not part of a larger release, but we simply wanted to show people out there as quickly as possible after the singer change what we sound like now with Liz. These recordings were not intended to be studio quality – for the sake of simplicity, the drums were programmed on the computer, for example, and the distorted sound of the guitars came from a digital amplifier and not from the tube amps that we actually play,” commented the band.

There’s a lot more information, tour dates, news and other nice-to-know details about Miss ScarRed and Nuking Moose on their official social media channels, including her Facebook, Instagram and Linktree, and the band’s official website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channel, leaving you updated with all things surrounding one of the most promising bands of the contemporary German scene, with of course Miss ScarRed proving why she was chosen by the band to be their new frontwoman and scream for them like there’s no tomorrow. Having said all that, what are you waiting for to dive into a sea of red together with such an amazing vocalist like her?

Miss ScarRed’s Official Facebook page
Miss ScarRed’s Official Instagram
Nuking Moose’s Official Facebook page
Nuking Moose’s Official Instagram
Nuking Moose’s Official YouTube channel

Concert Review – Decapitated & Septicflesh (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 05/03/2024)

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The city of Toronto witnessed this Friday one of the heaviest nights of the year so far, courtesy of four bands that definitely know how to unite violence and melody in their amazing music.

OPENING ACTS: Allegaeon and Kataklysm

Once again due to an insane combination of heavy traffic, heavy rain, no parking near The Phoenix Concert Theatre, and a huge and slow line to get inside the venue, I was “forced” to miss the first band of a night of sheer brutality and awesomeness, courtesy of ALLEGAEON, KATAKLYSM, SEPTICFLESH and DECAPITATED during their incendiary Cancer Culture Over North America 2024, another must-see event brought to a jam packed venue by the one and only Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. I’m starting to hate when concerts are booked at The Phoenix Concert Theatre, which might be a great venue once you’re inside, but parking near there and getting inside it for the shows is a true nightmare. Well, it is what it is, and I’ll try to leave earlier to be there on time for the next show (although I left my place almost THREE HOURS before the first band began their performance).

Fortunately, my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi was there to check out the amazing Denver, Colorado-based Technical/Melodic Death Metal outfit ALLEGAEON, who at 7:30pm sharp kicked off the night festivities. Having released the album Damnum back in 2022, plus an amazing new single named Iridescent this year, the band put on a fantastic show according to Keith. He said he would give them not just a 10 our of 10 for their musicianship, but a 12 out of 10. They loved that he dressed up in his Carcass apron and a server hat as their lead singer did in the video for Iridescent. He then met with them all at the merch table and chatted for a bit. Their guitarist Greg Burgess told him when he saw him in the photo pit he was dying with laughter on stage. Keith ended up giving the lead singer his server hat to wear for the next show, and got his apron all autographed. If you’re curious to listen to their amazing music, simply go to BandCamp or Spotify, and click HERE for all things Allegaeon. Next time I won’t miss them, even if I have to skip breakfast to do so.

Setlist
Threshold of Perception
1.618
Iridescent
Of Beasts and Worms
Gray Matter Mechanics – Apassionata Ex Machinea
Biomech – Vals No. 666

Band members
Ezra Haynes – vocals
Greg Burgess – guitars
Michael Stancel – guitars
Brandon Michael – bass
Jeff Saltzman – drums

At least I was able to get inside in time for Montréal, Quebec’s own Melodic Death/Groove Metal powerhouse KATAKLYSM, who kicked some serious ass on stage led by their talented frontman Maurizio Iacono. Blending old songs with new ones from their 2023 album Goliath (available on several streaming services like Spotify), the band demanded the crowd to keep moving inside the circle pit nonstop, turning up the heat at The Phoenix Concert Theatre to the point I wish it was still winter so that some cold air would enter the venue to freshen things up. Songs like Guillotine, The Killshot and The Black Sheep kept the circle pit moving in a wild and frantic manner until the very last second of their show, proving why they’re one of the driving forces of the extreme scene in Canada. If you’ve never seem Kataklysm live, just go for it. But please remember to be in good shape, do a lot of cardio beforehand, and even put on an armour, because their mosh pits are simply brutal.

Setlist
Goliath
Push the Venom
Guillotine
Narcissist
The Killshot
Die as a King
As I Slither
Crippled & Broken
Bringer of Vengeance
The Black Sheep

Band members
Maurizio Iacono – lead vocals
Jean-François Dagenais – guitars
Stéphane Barbe – bass
James Payne – drums

SEPTICFLESH

If you think after Kataklysm things were going to get any lighter, you’re absolutely wrong; quite the contrary, when Greek Atmospheric/Symphonic Death Metal beast SEPTICFLESH hit the stage (without one of their guitarists, Sotiris Vayenas, for an unknown reason), a visceral, Stygian ode to darkness took over the entire city of Toronto, driving their fans crazy during their entire co-headlining performance. All songs played, including newer songs the likes of Neuromancer and Hierophant, from their latest opus Modern Primitive, released in 2022, plus of course classics such as Portrait of a Headless Man and Anubis, were played to perfection by the band, with Spiros Antoniou sounding inhumane on vocals while Kerim “Krimh” Lechner sounded simply bestial behind his drums. Seriously, he’s fantastic, adding endless heaviness to the band’s already demonic music. Just like Rotting Christ, Septicflesh proudly carry the flag of Greek extreme music everywhere they go, and if you’ve never seen them live, don’t miss the chance whenever they visit your city because they do offer a truly unique sonic experience.

Setlist
Portrait of a Headless Man
Pyramid God
Neuromancer
The Vampire from Nazareth
Hierophant
Martyr
Communion
A Desert Throne
Anubis
Dark Art

Band members
Spiros Antoniou – harsh vocals, bass
Christos Antoniou – guitars, orchestrations, samples
Psychon – guitars
Kerim “Krimh” Lechner – drums

DECAPITATED

It was already past 10:30pm (yes, it was a long night of first-class heavy music) when the co-headliners that were closing the night DECAPITATED destroyed The Phoenix Concert theatre with their fusion of Technical Death Metal and Groove Metal. Those Polish metallers didn’t show a single drop of mercy for our souls during their demonic set, with their new songs from their 2022 album Cancer Culture like the title-track Cancer Culture, Just a Cigarette and Last Supper blending perfectly with old school tunes including Spheres of Madness and Iconoclast. Frontman Rafał Rasta Piotrowski sounded demented on vocals, keeping the circle pits moving wildly until the very end. Damn, I think there were mosh pits happening even inside the washrooms, and even at the Domino’s Pizza located a couple of blocks from the venue. What a night of insanity and heavy music combined to bring us avid fans some top-of-the-line entertainment during such difficult times in Toronto, and I can’t wait to witness Decapitated crushing our cranial skulls again in the city in the near future.

Setlist
From the Nothingness With Love
Cancer Culture
Just a Cigarette
Babylon’s Pride
Post(?) Organic
Lying and Weak
Spheres of Madness
Earth Scar
Never
Iconoclast
Last Supper
Planet Caravan (Black Sabbath song)

Band members
Rafał Rasta Piotrowski – vocals
Wacław Vogg Kiełtyka – guitars
Paweł Pavlo Pasek – bass
James Stewart – drums

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Metal Chick of the Month – Joey Roxx

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Strike back… The metal attack!

New year, same old savagery! That’s what you’ll get here at The Headbanging Moose during this promising year of 2024, and in order to start it with a bang let’s continue our annual tradition and kick off our metal lady of the month segment with a superb bassist that will surely put you to raise your horns and bang your heads in the name of heavy music. She’s such a badass woman that even her name rocks, and I’m more than sure you’ll love to listen to her rumbling bass guitar embellishing the airwaves wherever you go. I’m talking about Austria and Switzerland’s own Joey Roxx, a veteran metalhead who has been kicking some ass as the bass player for German Heavy Metal powerhouse Mystic Prophecy for almost a decade, delivering the goods and taking no prisoners in her quest for heavy music.

Born somewhere in time in the stunning country of Austria, but raised and currently living in Switzerland, our unstoppable Joey Roxx, whose real name is also a mystery to most of us, had her first memories related to music in general already at a very young age, mentioning the big, out-of-tune grand piano in her family’s living room as her earliest one, which was also the very first instrument she tried to play when she was still a little child. She also mentioned in one of her interviews that she remembers the music her parents used to play in their home during her childhood, citing a record by Reinhard Mey, a German Liedermacher (or “songmaker”, a German-style singer-songwriter) as one of the rare good moments of her parents’ albums, and also that her father used to “torment” her with the music by world renowned German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor Richard Wagner (due to the fact he was Hitler’s favorite composer, that became one of the worst memories of her early musical contact, symbolizing her punk soul already growing inside of her). In the end, she had to dig deep to find something that she was somehow allowed to listen to, saying that her parents have absolutely no influence on how she got into music, and that she had to listen to “her” music secretly. Furthermore, when she was around 11 or 12 years old, she had her very first contact with rock and metal music by becoming the drummer for a Gotthard/punk cover band at the girls’ boarding school that she attended.

Even though Mystic Prophecy was formed back in 2000 in Bad Grönenbach, Germany by frontman R. D. Liapakis (Valley’s Eve) together with together with Martin Albrecht (Valley’s Eve, Stormwitch, Rough), her career with the band began only in the year of 2015, having already released with the band the albums War Brigade (2016), Monuments Uncovered (2018), Metal Division (2020), and Hellriot (2023), plus the EP Hail to the King, in 2021, all available for a full and detailed listen on Spotify and on YouTube. Currently formed of frontman R.D. Liapakis and our metal diva Joey Roxx alongside Evan K and Markus Pohl on the guitars, and Hanno Kerstan on drums, the band plays a well-balanced and thrilling fusion of American Power Metal with classic Heavy and Thrash Metal, and all those elements can be easily recognized in their music as for example in the songs Hellriot, Azrael, Metal Attack, Demons of the Night, Unholy Hell, Dracula, Metal Division, Eye To Eye, Metal Brigade, and many more, as well as in this amazing live performance in Greece alongside Nightrage, Firewind and Rage back in 2017, all with Joey kicking some serious ass armed with her rumbling bass guitar.

Apart from her sensational metallic journey with Mystic Prophecy, she was also the founder and bassist for the band Hangmän’s Nooze (between 2008 and 2010); played bass for Kissin’ Black (between 2015 and 2016), Swiss Melodic Heavy Metal/Hard Rock act Paganini (between 2013 and 2019) and Swiss Melodic Heavy Metal/Hard Rock act Shezoo (between 2010 and 2014); and played bass live with German Melodic Heavy/Groove Metal act Souldrinker in 2014. In addition, she was also the rhythm guitarist for a band named Dezert Eaglez from 2005 until 2007, but again, there’s isn’t much available online about the band and their music (all it’s known is that it was just a teenage garage band, and that right now she’s also playing in a Black Sabbath tribute band called Lady Evyl, along some more.

As a teenager, Joey had posters of Sebastian Bach, Mike Tramp (of White Lion) and The Kelly Family (an Irish rock, pop and folk music music group consisting of a multi-generational family) hanging in her room, and she used to listen to a lot of Gotthard as well, with their song In The Name still having a special place in her heart. And speaking about The Kelly Family, it looks like Joey was a huge fan of their music, as she mentioned in an interview that they were the first concert she’s ever been to, and that she also has several of their albums in her private collection. She was not a fan of their music, though, it’s just that she was growing up in a small village in the Swissmountains, and didn’t have much options to consume music. In the early nineties there were only groups like Backstreet Boys or Spice Girls or the likes of these known to children, plus the Kelly Family, which was the only one who played live with real instruments, and as she was playing music since she was four she never got into what she herself likes to call “plastic dance performance/playback show” stuff, so The Kelly Family was the only logic thing to be into as a 10 year old kid. However, Joey turned into a Rush fangirl with time, considering them their favorite band, and Bravado her favorite song ever. As a matter of fact, when asked about three songs that should not be missing on a perfect mix tape, Joey obviously added Bravado to the list, complementing it with Battleship Chain, by The Georgia Satellites, and Get The Funk Out, by Extreme.

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Furthermore, our dauntless bassist said that her first self-bought album was Down To Earth, by Rainbow, saying that “I thought the cover was beautiful. The music on it is even better.” She also considers Extreme the most underrated band of all time, and she’s very proud of having the album The Ship, by Swiss Progressive Heavy Rock band Tea, in her collection, signed by the band’s vocalist Marc Storace with the comment “But you’re far too young for that!” At her funeral, she said she wants the song I Hope They Serve Jack Daniels In Hell, by Bourbon Crow, to be played, and that a romantic evening must include the music by Belphegor (and no one knows if she was joking or not when she said that). She also said that she doesn’t like to listen to digital music, but only to CD’s and vinyl, enjoying CD’s while she’s driving and leaving all vinyl for when she’s at home; and by the way, when asked about which albums she would take to a deserted island, she said that she would never go to any island without her record collection. Her taste for good music goes on, as besides rock and metal music she’s also a fan of Blues and Southern Rock, Horror and Death Punk, Russian classical music, and honest pop music (“not the radio nonsense,” as per Joey herself), also saying that she doesn’t like all that “more show, less music” nonsense that happens with bands like Sabaton, Battle Beast and Powerwolf.

Joey is also an avid concert goer, of course whenever she’s not touring with Mystic Prophecy, mentioning Rush on the Snakes & Arrows Tour in 2007, Rush at Sweden Rock Festival in 2013, and (guess what!?) Rush on the Time Machine Tour in 2011 as her top three concerts of all time. I guess I don’t need to repeat that she’s indeed fanatic for the most important Canadian rock band of all time, right? As a matter of fact, she considers Canada  the country with the most “best of all time” bands, including not only Rush and Triumph, but also Honeymoon Suite, Aldo Nova, Loverboy, Devin Townsend and so on. On the other hand, she mentioned Mötley Crüe as one of the bands she doesn’t want to see live again, as the last time she saw them it was quite embarrassing for the band and their fans (despite Joey loving their music very much). She also mentioned that she can’t stand still at a concert by American Southern Rock band Dan Baird & Homemade Sin, or at a concert by any of Dan Baird’s bands. And if you also love the thrill of live concerts like Joey, click HERE and go catch Mystic Prophecy live, as I’m sure you’ll love to have your ass kicked by Joey and her ruthless bass together with her talented bandmates.

Not only an accomplished musician, Joey has also ventured through other industries and markets, all connected to rock and metal, and all related to the visual aspects of the business. For instance, she’s the creative designer at JR with the Scissorhands, crafting handmade, authentic Rock N’ Roll clothing; she’s the manager (or at least used to be the manager) at Roxx Off Concerts; and she’s also a former “mad hatter” (yes, like the character from Alice in Wonderland, designing cowboy hats and custom shirts) and custom cutter at Souls of Rock Clothing, showing all her versatility in our rock and metal universe. Although she lives and breathes music one hundred percent of her time, she mentioned in an interview that that she’s probably one of the few people who has never sung in the shower, and that there’s no such amount of alcohol in the world (by the way, she’s a a beer and single malt whiskey girl) that would make her sing along to a hit song (unless maybe Eisgekühlter Bommerlunder, a song by Die Toten Hosen). And last but not least, she said that if one day she ever gets married, she hopes there’s an Elvis there, because she will probably be drunk in Las Vegas with him as her best man. I thought Elvis is always supposed to be the priest at those famous Vegas weddings, but if Joey wants him to be her best man, who are we to go against one of the most versatile and badass bass players hailing from the current European heavy music scene, right? Jokes aside, this is just her way of saying that she will never ever get married and have a family, because the chances of her being drunk in Vegas again are pretty low to zero, and those marriages are not official in Europe and can be annulated within 24 hours, which FOR SURE would be the case if ever that might happen to her for some sort of strange reasons.

Joey Roxx’s Official Facebook page
Joey Roxx’s Official Instagram
Mystic Prophecy’s Official Facebook page
Mystic Prophecy’s Official Instagram
Mystic Prophecy’s Official YouTube channel

“I’m quite open to anything that’s played with a lot of passion and real instruments. I can even find hip-hop to be of good quality and enjoy it live with a band, even if I’ll never really like it.” – Joey Roxx

Metal Chick of the Month – Anni Kokkonen

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Your love is poison… Running through my veins!

As it’s getting colder and colder in the Northern Hemisphere, we needed a metal lady for the month of December who’s not only used to this chilly, frosty weather, but who can also warm up our hearts with her undisputed talent, charisma and passion for heavy music. Hailing from the beautiful land of ice and snow, commonly referred to as Finland, she’s the lead singer for Symphonic/Melodic Power Metal band Nevicate, and for Symphonic/Melodic Groove Metal band Stormbreaker, as well as a lyricist and a pianist, always putting a huge smile on our faces and inspiring us to raise our horns with her powerful voice and whimsical keys. If you have no idea who Anni Kokkonen is, get ready to be stunned by one of the must-see names of the current underground scene in Finland, taking you on a wild journey through the realms of Melodic Metal in her homeland.

Anni started her career in music as the vocalist for Joensuu, Finland-based Symphonic/Melodic Power Metal outfit Nevicate (which by the way means “snowfall” in Italian) back in 2014, when the band was actually formed. Sometimes labeled as a band that plays “Pop Metal”, the music by Nevicate projects a great deal of musical features including modern EDM, classically orchestrated “drama-music” and dark, mystical Nordic atmospheres, or in other words, it’s a mixture of symphonic tones, pop vibes and electronic elements, with all lyrics revolving around psychological themes, dealing with the fragile human mind and wounds caused by adversity, resulting in a blend of feminine power, masculine headbanging and melancholic moodiness. So far, the band formed of our diva Anni Kokkonen on vocals, Lassi Porali on the guitars and backing vocals, Lumi Ollila on keyboards and backing vocals, Oskari Hevonkoski on bass and Toni Manninen on drums released their self-titled debut demo in 2016, followed by the singles Shattered, in 2017, The Surface, in 2019, and Dewdrops, in 2021, with Anni being responsible for the vocals and lyrics in all of them.

The band began to gain more ground in 2015 after participating and getting more encouragement in a project called Rock Academy in Joensuu, during which the band developed their own personal sound that reaches both catchy and heavy spheres. Having a strong musical background which can be heard from their meandering song arrangements and rigorous co-playing, all band members exploit both their steady musical knowledge and the emotion and interpretation entailed by years of playing experience. If you want to explore in more detail the mystical world ruled by Nevicate, you can find them on Facebook, Instagram, BandCamp, Spotify, and YouTube, where by the way you can watch their videos for the songs Dewdrops, The Surface, and Shattered, as well as other nice videos of making of’s and playthroughs. No idea at all if the band is on hold, if they called it quits, or if they’re just taking their time before their next release, but one thing is certain, and that is we need more of the music by Nevicate.

We can all say that right now Anni is fully focused on her Symphonic/Melodic Groove Metal band Stormbreaker, playing melodic but deliciously aggressive metal music. Founded in 2021 in Joensuu, the band currently comprised of Anni alongside veteran musician Petri Tarvainen on vocals, Jaakko Kauppinen and Tomi Virtanen on the guitars, Tatu Heikkinen on bass and Sami Ratilainen on drums was originally formed as a solo project of Petri Tarvainen, employing a host of familiar traits including a dynamic male and female vocal approach, stunning musicianship, and classic arrangements, being therefore recommended for fans of Arch Enemy, Beast In Black and Nightwish, among others. Earlier this year the band released their debut effort, a four-track EP overflowing adrenaline, harmony and rage entitled Vengeance, available for a full listen on YouTube, Spotify, BandCamp, Tidal and Apple Music, or click HERE for all things Stormbreaker.

Apart form her amazing work with Nevicate and Stormbreaker, we can also enjoy Anni and her hypnotizing vocals as a guest backing vocalist in the 2022 six-track EP Age of Mist, by Joensuu-based Melodic Death Metal band Cerebral Mist. The band is currently inactive due to the death of founding member Antti Parviainen in February 2018, with Age of Mist being finished posthumously by the remaining members of the band four years later to honour him and his work. Hence, you can enjoy the music by Cerebral Mist and celebrate the life of the deceased Antti Parviainen by listening to the EP in its entirety on BandCamp, on Spotify, or on YouTube. Furthermore, you can also enjoy Anni’s powerful vocals as a guest in the single Singularity (available on BandCamp, on Spotify, on YouTube, and on other streaming services), released in 2019 by Finnish Melodic Death Metal act Decrowned.

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Not only a fantastic vocalist, Anni is also a skillful pianist who does improvisations and covers on her Instagram profile @piano_b_onfire, and as Anni states in the profile herself, she plays the piano “just for fun”. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure the fact Anni can play the piano so well is extremely helpful for her when it comes to writing music for any of her bands, and speaking about her influences, she mentioned her own feelings as one of the driving forces in her writing process. “Usually, my current life situation gets me to write down my feelings which gradually develop into a lyric form. Also, whenever I’m touched by some other things that can make me put my thoughts on paper,” commented our Melodic Death Metal diva.

It’s also important to mention how dynamic the duo of Anni and Petri is for Stormbreaker, with Anni not only doing the clean parts in paradox to Petri’s harsh growls, but also showcasing her more venomous side and doing some screams as well, again proving how versatile her vocals can be. Her vocals will remind you of a young Doro Pesch at times, ad also of the iconic Kimberly Goss (of bands like Sinergy and Avernus), and all that range and versatility can be appreciated in all of its glory when Anni hits the stage, as she truly loves to perform live. “Live performances are one of the most important things to us. They tell the listeners what the band is truly about and can easily reach new fans at the same time. And to me being on stage is the best part of doing music,” she commented.

Anni doesn’t only love to be on stage and bring her music to life in front of an audience, but she also believes music videos are another crucial part of any band. “Music videos are a great way to promote bands in order to get gigs, and making them can give new exciting experiences which is always great and motivational,” she said, and we must all agree it’s always great to see a charismatic performer like her on screen, right? And lastly, when asked in one of her interviews if she prefers physical copies like CD’s, LP’s and cassettes, or if she’s a fan of digital downloads, she actually answered both are necessary in our world today. “Both have their pros and cons. Digital downloads are easy to share and spread all over the world but of course it’s a different matter to put an actual CD on a shelf. That’s why we like to make physical copies as well so we can really feel our accomplishment in our own hands.” Hence, what are you waiting for to buy the music by Anni’s amazing bands in digital or physical format, or even both? I’m sure she’ll be more than happy with that, inspiring her to keep creating thrilling and beautiful music, always embellishing the airwaves of her homeland Finland and anywhere else where good music is appreciated with her striking voice.

Anni Kokkonen’s Official Instagram
Anni Kokkonen (piano)’s Official Instagram
Stormbreaker’s Official Facebook page
Stormbreaker’s Official Instagram
Stormbreaker’s Official YouTube channel
Nevicate’s Official Facebook page
Nevicate’s Official Instagram
Nevicate’s Official YouTube channel

“Live performances are one of the most important things to us. They tell the listeners what the band is truly about and can easily reach new fans at the same time. And to me being on stage is the best part of doing music.” – Anni Kokkonen