Category: Band/Artist Profile

An in-depth look at bands and solo artists

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Band/Artist Profile

Artist of the Week: Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion is on the rise as one of the hottest rappers right now with her hit singles, styles, and fierce attitude. The first time I heard of Megan Thee Stallion was a few years ago when she participated in the Houston Cypher freestyle. In my opinion, she stole the show with her freestyle. It had attitude, flow, and rhymes that no one could match! Her lyrics are provocative and I think the genre is missing this type of style from female rappers.

Megan Thee Stallion was born as Megan Jovon Ruth Pete on February 15, 1995 in Bexar County, Texas and raised in the South Park neighborhood in Houston. Her mother, Holly Thomas, rapped under the name “Holly-Wood” and brought Megan to the studio instead of putting her daughter in daycare. So at a young age, Megan was introduced to the music industry and to the rap genre.

Megan began writing her own raps at the age of 16. Her mother thought her lyrics were too suggestive for her age and suggested she pursue her rap career when she turns 21. She. Graduated from Pearland High School in 2013. Also, in 2013, a clip of Megan went viral when she participated in a rap battle (cypher) against male opponents when she was a student at Prairie View A&M University. The video ended up going viral and helped enlarge her social media presence. She curated more fans by posting her freestyles on her Instagram while in college. She adopted the name “Megan Thee Stallion” because she was referred to as a stallion during her adolescence due to her height (5’10”) and looks. After taking time off school, she resumed her studies at Texas Southern University in health administration and hopes to establish assisted-living facilities in her hometown of Houston. She is a third year student as of 2019.

Megan released her EP Tina Snow in June 2018 before signing g to 300 Entertainment in November of 2018, making her the first female rapper on the label. She is known for her confidence, sensuality, and vulgar lyrics. She presents her sexuality throughout her lyrics, videos, and live performances. In an interview, Megan stated that her songs are not just about being sexy, but being confident in her sexuality.

Megan has various alter egos that she has referred to. One of those alter egos is Tina Snow (also the name of her debut EP). It was influenced by Pimp c’s alias, Tony Snow, and has similar confidence and sexually dominant delivery. Hot Girl Meg is another alter ego that Megan embodies which is her college, party girl side. Megan is also accredited to last year’s “Hot Girl Summer” due to some of her tweets and the song of the same name that she released in 2019.

Even though she has been very successful within her rap career, she has had some struggles in her personal life. Her mother died in March 2019 from a longstanding battle with a cancerous brain tumor. Her grandmother died in the same month. I look up to Megan because of her grind. Even with personal hardships, she is pushing through and working hard. I find it very impressive and motivational to see Megan in college, making banging hits, and persevering through hard times. Megan is a role model not only for women, but for everyone.

Discography:

·      Make It Hot (2017)

·      Tina Snow (2018)

·      Fever (mixtape) (2019)

·      Suga (2019)

Favorite Songs:

·      Savage

·      Tina Montana

·      Captain Hook

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Artist of the Week: Snoop Dogg

Bow wow wow yippy yo yippy yay Snoop doggy Dogg is in the house!!! Snoop Dogg is one of my all-time favorite rappers! The beats he uses are awesome and I absolutely love his flow in which he raps and the word play he uses within his lyrics. I saw Snoop Dogg back in December of 2019 at the Ritz in Raleigh and it was my first time seeing him. He puts on an awesome stage show and did his little Snoop Dogg signature dance of the bobbing from side to side. I would definitely recommend seeing him live!

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. was born on October 20, 1971 and is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, media personality, entrepreneur, and actor. His music career began in 1992 when he was discovered by Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg played a huge role in Dr. Dre’s solo debut album, The Chronic. Snoop Dogg is featured in numerous songs off that album and with this album, this was the first time my dad ever heard of Snoop Dogg and fell in love with his sound. My dad would play The Chronic during my childhood and that is where I found my love for Snoop Dogg.

Snoop Dogg’s debut album, Doggystyle (one of my favorite albums), was released in 1993 by Death Row Records. The album debuted at number one on both billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Doggystyle became certified quadruple platinum in 1994. In 1996 he released his second album, Tha Doggfather and that album was certified double platinum in 1997.

After leaving Death Row Records, Snoop Dogg signed with No Limit Records where he recorded his next three albums. He was then signed with Priority/Capitol/EMI Records in 2002. He was hired by EMI as the chairman of reactivated Priority Records in 2009. He also coaches a high school football team on his free time.

In 2012, Snoop Dogg took a trip to Jamaica and announced his conversion to Rastafarianism and was now Snoop Lion. He released a couple of records and a film under this name but in 2015 with the release of his album, Bush, he returned to using the name Snoop Dogg. In 2019, Snoop Dogg announced that he was a “born-again Christian” and released his first gospel album, Bible of Love. On November 19, 2018 he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Discography:

·      Doggystyle (1993)

·      Tha Doggfather. (1996)

·      Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998)

·      No Limit Top Dogg (1999)

·      Tha Last Meal. (2000)

·      Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss (2002)

·      R&G (Rhythm and Gangsta): The Masterpiece (2004)

·      Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (2006)

·      Ego Trippin’ (2008)

·      Malice n Wonderland (2009)

·      Doggumentary (2011)

·      Reincarnated (2013)

·      Bush (2015)

·      Coolaid (2016)

·      Neva Left (2017)

·      Bible of Love (2018)

·      I Wanna Thank Me (2019)


Favorite Songs:

·      Gin N Juice

·      Drop It Like It’s Hot

·      Murder Was The Case

·      Who Am I

·      I Wanna Rock

·      1800

Have you seen Snoop Dogg? What are some of your favorite songs?  

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is just one of those bands that never get old; you never get tired of hearing any songs from the nearly 30-year catalog. Hailing from Ludvika, Sweeden, Hypocrisy formed in 1991 and is an important figure in the awesome metal (death and black) that has been pouring out of the Old Norse countries. They have spent their entire career on Nuclear Blast Records (which is saying a lot) – 12 studio albums, 4 EPs, one compilation album, and 2 live albums.

For the first two records (Penetralia in 1992 and Osculum Oscenum in 1993) Magnus Broberg handled writing lyrics and spewing gutturals and growls. These two records were simply and purely death metal. Broberg left in 93’ because of a ruptured eardrum, and later took part in forming Dark Funeral. Thus, in 93’ Peter Tagtgren (guitars) took over both the lyrical content and the vocal duties. At this point, Hypocrisy shifted toward melodic Death Metal and hit their stride.

With Tagtgren at the helm, the band’s discography is impressive: The Fourth Demension (1994) – featuring the first Death Metal ballad I have ever heard! Abducted (1996), The Final Chapter (1997), Hypocrisy (1999), Into the Abyss (2000), Catch 22 (2002), The Arrival (2004), Virus (2005), A Taste of Extreme Divinity (2009) and, End of Disclosure (2013).

Presently, Hypocrisy is Tagtgren (guitar, vocals), Mikael Hedlund (bass), Reidar “Horgh” Horghagen (drums) and live guitarist Tomas Elofsson. Tagtgren is also a producer, as owner of The Abyss studios, where he has worked with the likes of Sabaton, Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Amon Amarth, Skyfire, Children of Bodom, Amorphis, and Celtic Frost, etc.

Favorite songs spanning the hypocrisy catalog: The Fourth Dimension, Valley of the Damned, Adjusting the Sun, Eraser, Let the Knife Do the Talking, Weed Out the Weak, Roswell 47, End of Disclosure, 44 Double Zero, Hell is Where I Stay, When Death Calls.

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Morbid Angel

American Death metal derived from the state of Florida, a lot of great metal bands were involved in the death metal scene back in that day, and are still successful today! Bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, and Morbid Angel.

I have been listening to Morbid Angel for years, unlike my common theme of liking groovy death metal, this band does have some grooves and nice riffs, but their main theme is being very Satanic. This band references Satan and darkness in all of their songs, and their sound compliments the darkness of their lyrics. They are in a branch of death metal all on their own and have a very distinct sound within the metal genre. I had opportunities to see Morbid Angel, but I always had something school related get in the way of the show. Hopefully one day I will be able to see them!

Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida and formed in 1983 by guitarist and sole remaining original member, Trey Azagthoth. They are known as one of the most influential bands in the genre and important in the transition of death metal from its thrash metal roots. Morbid Angel was one of the first bands to incorporate guttural vocals, blast beats, multiple tempo changes, and an extremely dark atmosphere. They were also the first death metal band to experience mainstream success when MTV put their music video for “God of Emptiness” on heavy rotation in 1992. This song was also shown on an episode of Beavis and Butt-head. Their first four albums are considered classics of the death metal genre.

The band’s original lyrical themes with Vincent’s influence were about Satanism, occultism, and anti-Christian subject matter. Azagthoth later moved the lyrics towards talking about the ancient Sumerian gods.

Morbid Angel’s sound has heavily influenced the growth and development of death metal and black metal bands in South America, as well as the early black metal scene in Norway. Many bands have cited Morbid Angel as an influence including Immortal, Gorguts, Behemoth, Gojira, and Revocation, etc.

Current Members:

·      Trey Azagthoth – guitars

·      Steve Tucker – bass and vocals

·      Scott Fuller – drums

·      Dan Vadim Von – guitars

Discography:

·      Altars of Madness (1989)

·      Blessed Are the Sick (1991)

·      Covenant (1993)

·      Domination (1995)

·      Formulas Fatal to the Flesh (1998)

·      Gateways to Annihilation (2000)

·      Heretic (2003)

·      Illud Divinum Insanus (2011)

·      Kingdoms Disdained (2017)

Favorite songs:

Immortal Rights, Where The Slime Live, I am Morbid, God of Emptiness, Garden of Disdain, and Summoning Redemption.

Have you ever seen Morbid Angel live? What are some of your favorite songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Jungle Rot

Ahh Jungle Rot, and no, I am not talking about Tropical ulcer, that is just nasty. I am talking about the American death metal band from Kenosha, Wisconsin. The first time I heard of and saw Jungle Rot was at the 2015 Mayhem Fest. Me and my dad mainly went to this festival to see King Diamond, and wow! At this festival, we also saw Thy Art Is Muder and Whitechapel. Right when we got to the festival, Jungle Rot was playing. At first, I thought it was Obituary! When I was waiting to get a Thy Art Is Murder shirt, Jungle Rot was at their booth meeting fans.

Fast forward to 2019, I started listening to Jungle Rot! I was hooked on their song Paralyzed Prey for the longest time. Their songs are about zombies, war, battles, and everything in-between! What I really like about Jungle Rot are their grooves. They are insanely groovy and it is the traditional groovy death metal sound. I love them so much; I never get tired of them. I got to see Jungle Rot with Deicide in June of 2019 and they were awesome!! I pushed my way to the front during Jungle Rot’s set and they absolutely killed it. I also go to meet their touring drummer at the time and he was really cool. I would definitely recommend seeing Jungle Rot when you get the chance.

Jungle Rot formed in 1992 as a side project by Jim Harte and Joe Thomas, members of the Illinois thrash metal band, Prisoner. The band’s name refers to Jungle rot, an infection of the feet, which people develop in the jungle when their military boots are left on. They are an aggressive style of thrash influenced death metal. They are known to integrate slow stomp melodies within their style.


Current Members:

Dave Matrise – vocals and guitars

James Genenz – bass

Geoff bub – guitars

Spense Syphers – drums


Discography:

Skin The Living (1996)

Slaughter the Weak (1997)

Dead and Buried (2001)

Fueled by Hate (2004)

Warzone (2006)

What Horrors Await (2009)

Kill on Command (2011)

Terror Regime (2013)

Order Shall Prevail (2015)

Jungle Rot (2018)


Favorite Songs:

A Burning Cider

Paralyzed Pray

No Mercy

The Unstoppable

Send Forth Oblivion

Demigorgon

Have you seen Jungle Rot? What are some of your favorite songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Devourment

Fun fact: I discovered this band in 2019 and I am kicking myself for not listening to this band sooner! I was strolling through some Instagram stories and multiple friends posted a screenshot of their album that came out in 2019, and I got to thinking, “who is this?” I started listening to their newest album and I fell in love with their sound. The pure intensity of the music with lots of double bass and blast beats combined with the deep gutturals of the singer makes my heart really happy. I have never seen this band live but I hope that one day I do. I feel like when the day comes that I get to see them, my reaction is going to be the same as the first time I saw Dying Fetus, in pure awe. They have easily became one of my favorite bands.

Devourment is an American death metal band from Dallas, Texas. Although they are considered death metal, I see them more as a slam band because the instruments are not played as “cleanly" as death metal. Slam has a more distorted and disorganized sound (though it resembles the beauty of chaos). They formed in 1995 following the breakup of the band Necrocide – the drummer, Brad Fincher, and guitarist, Braxton Henry then founded Devourment. The band has split up and reformed three different times leaving Fincher as the only original member. The band is currently signed to Relapse Records.


Members:

Ruben Rosas (vocals)

Chris Andrews (guitars)

Brad Fincher (drums)

Dave Spencer (bass)


Discography:

Molesting the Decapitated (1999)

Butcher the Weak (2005)

Unleash the Carnivore (2009)

Conceived in Sewage (2013)

Obscene Majesty (2019)


Favorite songs:

Cognitive Sedation Butchery, Sculpted in Tyranny, and Tomb of Scabs

Have you seen Devourment live? What is your favorite song by them?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Slaughter to Prevail

Slaughter to Prevail (STP) has got to be one of the heaviest bands that I have ever listened to. I remember the first time I heard STP, I was with my friend, Nate, and he started to play them and I looked over at him and said, “who the hell is this?” I immediately loved what I heard. Their sound is heavy and brutal and don’t even get me started on the vocals, it is insane. If I had to guess what Satan sounds like, I would say he sounds like this vocalist. The power and intensity of his voice is absolutely crazy.

My friends went to see them a couple of months ago and said that the music is playing and STP’s singer let go of the mic and started yelling, you could still hear him over the music!! Homie has a strong and loud voice!! I have never seen STP but I have tried many, many times. The first three times I was planning to see them, something came up each time: either the band couldn’t get in the country because of their visas, their bus broke down, or the show got canceled. I could have seen them the most recent time they came through NC, but I had schoolwork, and that is a bigger priority for me (#nerd, I know).

Before forming Slaughter to Prevail, British guitarist Jack Simmons was a part of a deathcore band called Acrania, and Alex Terrible (a Russian vocalist) gained a huge following on YouTube for his cover videos. Terrible was originally a part of a Russian deathcore band We Are Obscurity, but the group fell apart trying to find a record label. Simmons recruited Terrible with Russian drummer Anton Poddyachy to form Slaughter to Prevail. When they released their EP Chapters of Misery (2015), and their videos had millions of hits on YouTube, they signed to Sumerian Records in 2016. Slaughter to Prevail released their first full-length album, Misery Sermon in 2017.Terrible stated that the album was inspired by the hate and misery seen in everyday life, especially since metal shows in Russia were often canceled due to religious reasons.

The band is noted for their heavy and dark themed songs with a deep focus on Terrible’s deep guttural vocals. They are known to be influenced by Suicide Silence, Bring Me the Horizon (old school BMTH), and Carnifex. The band is also known for wear full-face masks that are gnarly as hell. Most of the songs are in Russian but some do feature English lyrics.

Current members:

·      Aleksandr “Alex Terrible” Shikolai (vocals)

·      Mikhail “Mike” Petrov (bass)

·      Evgeny Novikov (drums)

·      Robert Brown (guitar)

Discography:

·      Chapters of Misery (EP) (2016)

·      Misery Sermon (album) (2017)

·      Agony (single) (2019)

Favorite song: Hell (this was the first song I have ever heard by them!!!)

Have you seen Slaughter to Prevail? What are some of your favorite songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band Highlight: While She Sleeps

While She Sleeps is one of the most underrated metalcore bands out there right now. Their carefully crafted melodies, pop hooks, and aggressive breakdowns give them a refreshing sound that perfectly combines styles from bands like Architects and Northlane. I saw these guys in February of this year and went into it without many expectations, and it turned out to be the best concert I had EVER been to. They entered the stage and immediately unleashed their aggression, excitement, and passion unlike anything I had ever seen with their new song FAKERS PLAGUE. The audience absorbed that energy and threw it right back, not hesitating to open the pit and sing along. People were hugging one another, sitting on shoulders, headbanging, screaming together, and becoming totally lost in the music. All of which is normal for a metalcore show, but the positive energy that flowed within the audience and between the audience and stage was undeniable. Each member of the band was smiling and laughing in the midst of the chaos the entire set. I followed the progression of their tour on social media and their shows just seemed to get more and more wild until the singer was hanging upside down from the rafters and the guitarist crowd surfed during his solos. 

While She Sleeps formed in Sheffield, England in 2006 and includes vocalist Lawrence “Loz” Taylor, guitarists Sean Long and Mat Welsh, bassist Aaran McKenzie, and drummer Adam Savage. Loz Taylor came into the band as the lead vocalist for their third EP that was recorded in a home studio. The band grew in popularity as they toured extensively across the UK and Europe and eventually won the Kerrang! Awards 2012. When asked the origin of their band name, Taylor explained it was inspired by a story of a woman murdering her husband while he slept and changed it to “she” instead of “he”. Taylor also indicated that “she” can be used as a reference to a sunken ship or vehicle, as they are often referred to with a feminine pronoun. While She Sleeps has shared the stage with bands like Bring Me the Horizon, Bleed from Within, Betraying the Martyrs, Asking Alexandria, Motionless in White, and Thy Art Is Murder. They’ve gone back to their punk-rock, DIY roots and started their own label called Sleep Brothers in order to regain total control over their process. Their newest album So What? is proof that these guys know exactly how to bring their music to the next level. I highly recommend checking them out and seeing them live if you get the chance. This band is explosive.

-Sarah 

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Artist Spotlight: The Internet

My favorite tracks: Hold On, Special Affair, Dontcha, They Say 

Listen if you like: Phony Ppl, Steve Lacy, Noname 

The Internet is an L.A.-based group which blends together a mixture of R&B soul, hip-hop, electronica, and funk to create the most inspired music out there. It all began in late 2011 when some of the members of Odd Future decided to create a side-project under Odd Future Records. Thus the album Purple Naked Ladies was birthed. Together, the members of The Internet masterfully create a sound unlike any other in the modern R&B scene. Although the band was founded primarily by Syd, along with Christopher Smith, Matt Martians, and Patrick Paige, they were joined by Steve Lacy in 2015. The Internet has a total of four albums, Purple Naked Ladies (2011), Feel Good (2013), Ego Death (2015), and Hive Mind (2018). Ego Death was nominated for a Grammy in 2015 and the band has received clout throughout the alternative hip-hop circles and beyond. 

While I truly appreciate all of the albums The Internet has made, I especially adore Ego Death. I love Steve Lacy’s contributions to the production of the album and think highly of it, as one of the most smooth and well-made R&B-hip-hop albums of my lifetime. Syd’s vocals and the electronic-inspired melodies blend together perfectly. Ego Death is a unique experience of an album. Since high school, these songs have brought me comfort in times of struggle and have allowed me to embrace the weirdness and beauty of life. If you’re looking for some tracks to start out with, I highly recommend Just Sayin/I Tried and Palace/Curse, which are my go-tos to this day whenever I need a mood boost. All this said, I do enjoy the entirety of the band’s discography, which is extremely rare for me. Check the band out, and you’ll see why. I appreciate the emotional ties I have with each album and I continuously hope to see new projects from them soon. 

– Miranda 

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Despised Icon

The first time I heard Despised Icon was a few years ago and I loved their sound. When I was getting into deathcore, they were one of the main bands that would appear. I have never seen Despised Icon and I am hoping that one day I will be able to. I decided to take a look at their history since they released a killer album in late 2019. When I heard their new record, Purgatory, I fell in love with the band all over again.

Despised Icon is a Canadian deathcore band from Montreal, Quebec. They formed in 2002 and the band is known for Alex Pelletier’s (drummer) blasting technique, as well as dual vocals from Alex Erian and Steve Marois. Erian does the mid-range growls while Marois does the high-pitched shrieks. In 2010, the band disbanded, but reformed back in 2014.

Despised Icon was signed to Galy Records in 2002 and released their debut album Consumed by Your Poison in October of that year. They had a few changed within their lineup in 2004 and recorded a self-financed EP, Syndicated Murderers. In 2005, the group signed to Century Media and released their second album, The Healing Process. Fast forward to 2016, the band signed with Nuclear Blast and are currently on that label.

Current members:

Steve Marois (vocals), Alex Erian (vocals), Eric Jarrin (lead guitar), Alex Pelletier (drums), Bend Landreville (rhythm guitar), and Sebastien Piché (bass).

Discography:

Consumed By Your Poison (2002), The Healing Process (2005), The III’s of Modern Man (2007), Day of Mourning (2009), Beast (2016), and Purgatory (2019).

Favorite songs: Slow Burning, Day of Mourning, and Furtive Monologue.

Have you seen Despised Icon? What are some of your favorite songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW