Music
▼ Interview
Gaza: Bigger Fish to Fry
It’s been an intense six years for Gaza since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die. Their brutal music has lit fires under fans all over the world. They’ve lost a guitarist, but gained a fresh rebirth in their creativity, and their refusal to censor their message has earned them a finger-wagging from some of the industry’s biggest names. Just like their sound, however, Gaza are relentless, fierce, and unafraid to plow through the challenges presented. … read more
Eagle Twin: The Serpent and The Crow
Eagle Twin is two beasts, operating in a spectrum of duality. Eagle Twin is finesse and power. Eagle Twin combines the power of the riff with the freeness of jazz. Eagle Twin is the serpent and the crow. Eagle Twin is Gentry Densley and Tyler Smith. In 2009, the band released their first album, The Unkindness of Crows, on the legendary Southern Lord Records. Now, the band is preparing to release their second album, The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale. … read more
That Mighty Sculptor, Time: The Return of INVDRS
After a six-month hiatus, INVDRS, one of the region’s most remorseless rock acts, is back, and in fighting fettle. For almost five years, INVDRS labored to establish itself as the musical embodiment of primordial violence, a stated goal for which they offer no apologies. “We don’t hold back,” says drummer Gavin Hoffman. Their album, Electric Church, and their live shows stand as the twin testaments of their gospel of redemption through destruction. … read more
Fiddling While Rome Burns: Pleasure Thieves
Unbeknownst to many, a small faction has been assembling for the past few weeks to revive an entity that has long been considered dead. Their inconspicuous plan to unleash their diabolical, reanimated creature on humanity is almost complete. That is, if you consider post-hardcore-influenced metal-punk diabolical. I’m not talking about some cult from a splatter film, but, rather, Salt Lake’s Pleasure Thieves: a punk-based four-piece coming off an extended hiatus. … read more
Napalm Flesh: Corrosion of Conformity Interview
Welcome to Napalm Flesh! This week we have an interview with drummer Reed Mullin of the mighty Corrosion of Conformity, who will be in Salt Lake on June 15, headlining a show with tourmates Torche, Black Cobra and Gaza. We also have a rundown of this week’s metal happenings in Salt Lake and beyond. … read more
Maximum Distortion: Utah’s Metal Valhalla Celebrates Seven Years on the...
Outsiders may be deceived, but Salt Lake City loves its fucking heavy metal. We also have some of the most dedicated torchbearers calling our scene home. Two of these pioneers have been broadcasting brutality every Wednesday night from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. for seven years on KRCL: Forgach and Cody D, the DJs behind Maximum Distortion. … read more
Midsummer Crunch: Crucial Fest Strikes Again
Crucial Fest is Salt Lake City’s own badass rock festival thrown by Exigent Records. Making its debut last summer, Crucial Fest presented an exposition of amazing local and regional talent in a five-day, multi-venue musical orgy. At this year’s festival, running June 20-23 and June 27-30, there will be more bands and more shows spread over various Salt Lake venues, with all-day Kilby Court extravaganzas complete with art, vendors, food carts and skate demos on both Saturdays. … read more
Picking up Some Colonel Knowledge: J.D. Wilkes Plays Salt Lake...
Even though he’s spent the last 14 years as the wild and rambunctious frontman of The Legendary Shack Shakers, J.D. “The Colonel” Wilkes was unable to resist his urges to create another highly original band with his wife Jessica: The Dirt Daubers. Now touring simultaneously with both groups on the same bill, Wilkes is up to the challenge of bringing his dual musical visions to life night after night. … read more
It’s a Short Way to the Top: The Rooftop Concert...
Three years ago, Wiley, Mindy Gledhill, Courtney Kendrick and Justin Hackworth sat in a meeting with the town’s Cultural Awareness Committee to discuss how they could make downtown Provo more vibrant. The result is The Rooftop Concert Series, thrown on the first Friday of the month from May to October on a parking garage. “It’s unique. It’s the only rooftop concert we know of. It’s also really beautiful—you have the backdrop of the mountains behind it all,” says Hackworth. … read more
Torche Song Trilogy: Drummer Rick Smith is Homeless and Happy
Beginning with 2008’s Meanderthal and continuing with the band’s newest release, Harmonicraft, Torche has steadily written material that has more in common with Led Zeppelin than with Black Sabbath. “We get a lot of shit for not being as ‘heavy’ as we used to be,” says drummer Rick Smith. “Not everyone is supposed to like your band.” … read more