Tag Archives: Jake Kussmaul

On July 8th, 2009, Florida’s metal scene lost a pivotal vocalist. John Patrick Jr. McDonald, best known as Midnight while fronting the classic lineup of Crimson Glory, would pass away from a brain aneurysm at age 47. Under such circumstances, the chances of newer material surfacing later on is usually …

Bad Marriage is a Boston, Massachusetts-based sextet that formed in 2015. Their first two albums, 2019’s Bad Marriage and its successor, 2021’s Bad Marriage 2, generated much critical acclaim for their combination of nostalgic hard rock riffs with refreshingly modern lyrical cynicism. Up to this point, the band has since …

Liam Horne is a singer/songwriter born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland. As part of a traveling music-loving family, his move to Los Angeles would pay off tremendously. By 2012, the very first song he’d written, “Out of Town Girl,” was given to pop icon Justin Bieber to record. Bieber, whose …

Letrick Olson is a Detroit, Michigan-based five-piece supergroup comprising veteran musicians from the city’s music scene. Back in the early 90s, singer Aaron Letrick and bassist Kevin Chown showcased their distinct prowess in glam metal quartet Pleezer, while guitarist Kenny Olson and keyboardist Jimmie Bones created the Twisted Brown Trucker …

Bleak Mystique is an emerging quartet based in Denver, Colorado. Initially debuting in 2021 as a straight-ahead punk band, their sound – within the span of three EPs – has grown to include nuances of grunge, indie rock, and power pop, while maintaining a poignant lyrical focus on the bliss …

Kevin Mathews is a veteran Singaporean singer-songwriter and composer. Best known for his 1993 hit single, “My One and Only” by his pop rock outfit Watchmen, Mathews has gone on to craft over two dozen multi-genre band and solo releases, including his latest solo album, Time Flies. The album, which …

Alborn is an emerging quartet based in Sterling, Illinois. Releasing their debut EP, Impairative, five months into the pandemic, the band’s brand of brooding nu metal melodies and grunge-influenced harmonies managed an impact despite rapidly changing times. Now armed with a solid follow-up single, “Push”, out since last week, and …

Zach Waters is a singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Forming the Zach Waters Band in 2016, the musician found his footing as a solo artist in blues-oriented spaces. By 2022, he’d switch to a hard rock sound, and simultaneously shorten the band’s name to ZWB to reflect a more …

Unaligned is a technical death metal band led by vocalist Andrew Guia and guitarist/bassist Taylor Tidwell. While the two Florida-based musicians formed the band during the 2020 pandemic, their work ethic and creativity especially surged. The resulting effort was their debut album, Inner Dimensions, released in April of 2022, a …

Back in October, Filipino outfit The Ballsbreakers released Life In The Tundra, the much-anticipated follow-up to their 2019 debut, Songs For Fredo (which made our top-ten list that year). With a wholly revamped sound and lineup, they continue along their traditionally meaty, introspective, and indeed, balls-breaking, approach. Following Life In …

The Hate Club is a dark metal project led by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Alex Poe. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine and currently based in Los Angeles, California, Poe has gained traction through his recordings, as well as touring with a full band around the United States and Europe, since forming …

Savannah, Georgia collective Them Damn Kings is gaining serious traction with their debut album, Rise Up, which has been warmly received by way of review coverage and consistent presence on American metal radio since its release this past September. Cemented by singer/multi-instrumentalist Jef Rhodes and drummer Ryan Folden, the band …