metal
Distorted guitars, crazy rhythms, dense bass, and insane vocals. What it means to be a metal head.
Compilation Craze: Revisiting the Hottest Unsigned Bands of 2003
While I haven't bought a CD in years, I always enjoy checking out the old compilations when I browse a used record store. Many compilations have obscure tracks that you won't find anywhere else, and this Budweiser True Music "Future Icons" album has 11 of them, plus four bonus tracks from bands that already made it big—presumably to get you to buy the record. According to Discogs, this CD came free with a 2003 issue of Blender , and I bet that some music lovers still have a copy lying around somewhere.
By Kaitlin Shanks3 days ago in Beat
My Exclusive Interview With Alyona Sedliar
Bands are nothing without great management, and Alyona Sedliar has the tools, knowledge and experience to take Septory to the next level. As a metal fan and former musician, she understands the nuances of the music scene and makes connections that help her clients thrive. She's also Septory's biggest fan, and while their audience might appreciate their music, nobody can match Sedliar's drive, enthusiasm and professionalism. When you read this interview, you'll realize that managers are the unsung heroes of the music industry, and your favorite band has someone just like her in their corner.
By Kaitlin Shanks8 days ago in Beat
My Exclusive Interview With Jane Rey
From ghost sightings in Raleigh to photoshoots with gothic metal bands, Jane Rey's had a lot of adventures in her career. Her photography helps local bands get more exposure and relive their best performances, and while not every photographer is up to the challenge, Rey's skills allow her to capture the perfect shot in the midst of the rowdiest crowds and darkest venues. Luckily, she doesn't hide her secrets from the public; in fact, she was willing to go in depth for an interview that may transform the way you think about music photography.
By Kaitlin Shanks10 days ago in Beat
My relaxing songs
Songs that help me relax and to escape the world are ones that would work for almost no one else. I relax to the most aggressive songs around, I also went to concerts to relax to aggressive live bands till poor health stopped it. Even though I am getting old the music hasn't changed, in fact its probably become more extreme over the years.
By ASHLEY SMITH16 days ago in Beat
Sinister Fate: A First‑Hand Look at Chicago’s Long‑Running Shock‑Rock Trio. Content Warning.
There’s a certain kind of band that doesn’t just play music — they survive it. They bleed into it. They build something out of the chaos life hands them and then scream it back into the world with amps turned up high enough to rattle the bones of anyone standing too close. That’s Sinister Fate.
By Syl De'Vil17 days ago in Beat
Hallowed Be Thy Set. Top Story - October 2026.
Bruce Dickinson was singing about the Battle of Britain, and it was the first time I cried in a gym. I was 11 weeks out from my first bodybuilding competition, and had consumed the same white fish and green beans for so long that I had come to view the meal as my enemy. As I performed the last set of squats, my legs were shaking and the introductory riff of Aces High blared through my headphones like an air raid siren. I placed the barbell back onto the rack, sat down on the bench, and began crying into my towel. After my bout of self-pity, I completed another set.
By Daisy Fernsby18 days ago in Beat
Notes from the Mind Palace
Karaoke isn’t just singing for me — it’s a personality test, a confession booth, a therapy session, and a threat all rolled into one. My lineup is chaotic on purpose. It’s designed to confuse people, amuse people, scare people, and remind myself that I’m still alive. I also do it alone. So there is that.
By Syl De'Vil28 days ago in Beat
Notes from the Mind Palace.
Music doesn’t just “inspire” me. It rewires me. It grabs my skull like it’s trying to tune a radio, and suddenly every part of me snaps into alignment. My thoughts stop tripping over each other. My nerves stop buzzing. The world gets quieter, even when the volume is stupidly loud. I don’t listen to music — I use it. The louder the music gets, the quieter those internal voices become — the ones that try to tell me I’m nothing, the ones that show up when I’m tired or hurting or stretched too thin. Volume becomes a shield. Bass becomes a boundary. A song becomes the thing that steps between me and the parts of my mind that don’t always play fair. It even helps with the autoimmune pain. Not in some magical “healing frequency” way — just in the way drowning in sound gives me something stronger to focus on than the ache. When the music is loud enough, my body stops screaming for a minute. I get a little space. A little breath. A little control. It’s the switch that flips me from “overstimulated parent with seven kids doing parkour through my sanity” to “feral writer pacing the room like a crow deciding which shiny object to steal.” If the song hits right, my whole brain goes cinematic. I stop seeing words and start seeing scenes: fog rolling in, headlights cutting through it, someone yelling in the distance, maybe something crawling out of the dark that shouldn’t exist. Music is the fuse that lights all of that. People think playlists are just background noise. Mine are battle plans . Each song is a mood, a memory, a weapon. Some tracks drag me back to Maine. Some drag me into the fog. Some drag me into the parts of my head I don’t talk about unless I’m writing. And some songs hit so hard I feel like I’m remembering a life I didn’t actually live. Music is the only thing that can match the chaos in my head without getting drowned out. It’s the one thing that keeps me steady. It’s the one thing that makes the stories come out clean instead of tangled. Music doesn’t just affect me. It possesses me. And honestly, I let it — because it’s one of the few things that makes the noise inside me survivable. Music doesn’t just affect me — it kidnaps me. It drags me by the hair into whatever universe it feels like throwing me into. And the louder it is, the quieter everything else gets. The voices that tell me I’m nothing? They get smothered under layers of distortion and screaming. They can’t compete with a sonic avalanche. I listen too loud everywhere. Car? Loud enough to rattle the bolts out of the doors. Shower? Loud enough the shampoo vibrates. Headphones? Weak. Earbuds? Pathetic. Party speaker? Coward. Nothing gets loud enough. So I keep turning it up anyway. Because when Yeah Yeah Yeahs — “Y Control” hits, something in my chest snaps awake. It’s like someone kicked the generator in my soul and yelled RUN . When Tegan and Sara — “Dark Come Soon” comes on, the world finally dims enough for me to breathe. Tiger Army — “Valley of Dreams” drowns the autoimmune pain under rhythm and pulse. Choking Victim — “In My Grave” lights a match in my ribcage and tells the darkness to fight back. Rancid — “St. Mary” is every too‑fast drive I’ve ever taken. Bad Brains — “F.V.K.” is adrenaline in audio form. Talking Heads — “Psycho Killer” is the part of my brain that laughs at the chaos, and shakes her butt a little at the sound. Social Distortion — “Far Behind” is grit and memory. something I would rather keep to myself. Bad Religion — “Generator” is the spark that keeps me writing. reminds me that there's more than what you see. Dramarama — “Anything, Anything” is the scream I never let out and the song I sing every time I feel like I could fall in love. then remind myself that love... its not for me. Then there’s The Church — “Reptile” , crawling under my skin like electricity. And Misfits — “Devils Whorehouse” , kicking open the door to the feral part of my brain. But you want chaos? Here’s chaos: Otep — “Special Pets” makes my blood feel like it’s boiling. It’s the one that shuts the internal voices up because they know they can’t compete with that kind of rage. Tool — “The Pot” hits like someone dropped a brick through my skull and rearranged the furniture inside. Mudvayne — “Dig” isn’t a song — it’s a detonation. It’s the moment the world goes white‑hot and I stop feeling anything except the beat. Volbeat — “Still Counting” is the soundtrack of every time I’ve said “I’m fine” while absolutely not being fine. Marilyn Manson — “Kill 4 Me” slinks through my nerves like a threat wrapped in velvet. Chevelle — “Take Out the Gunman” is the pulse that keeps me upright when everything hurts. Incubus — “Nice to Know You” is the moment I slam the door on the past and don’t look back. A Perfect Circle — “Magdalena” turns my brain into a cathedral full of ghosts. Straight Line Stitch — “Conversion” is the part of me that refuses to die, even when everything else is screaming. Wage War — “High Horse” is the moment I stop apologizing for being loud, chaotic, messy, and alive. "Teeth" the song that reminds me exactly where I stand with those in my life. These songs aren’t just tracks — they’re weapons . They’re shields. They’re pressure valves. They’re the only things loud enough to drown out the parts of me that try to drag me under. Music is the only thing that matches the chaos in my head without getting swallowed by it. It’s the one thing that keeps me upright. It’s the one thing that makes the stories come out clean instead of tangled.
By Syl De'Vil28 days ago in Beat
The first album that I have ever had…
In the late 80’s a radio station where I lived called 101.5 WPDH a now classic rock radio station held a contest at shop rite supermarket and they drew my name from a hat or a roller and I won the Cinderella album in 1988. For some time for whatever reason I couldn’t play it so years later I did play it and it had all the or some of their hits like “Gypsy Road”, “Don’t Know What you got till it’s gone” which was the power ballad that every Hair Metal band needed to have on their album, though these were the stand out hits from the album at least in my point of view.
By Revista Miko:XCI about a month ago in Beat
Ozzfest return
In a previous article i wrote regarding Ozzfest I wrote about how I don’t think that Ozzfest should return with Ozzy and quite frankly I still don’t. However, I have looked at it from both sides of the aisle as they say and though i stand by my point of view i also see that Ozzfest should carry on and it would be a great way to carry on and honor Ozzy’s name and legacy and also still fly the flag for heavy music and metal as it had always done.
By Revista Miko:XCI about a month ago in Beat
2007 the year the Osbournes had made Ozzfest free!
In 2007 Ozzy and Sharon had decided to Ozzfest free and it was fantastic! That was the year that I had gone to Ozzfest it was my once in a lifetime chance to get to see Ozzy in concert. I am glad I could go.
By Revista Miko:XCI about a month ago in Beat
