Hundred-dollar parking. Long lines. Overpriced drinks. A lack of cell phone reception. Uber surcharges. These are a few of the many things Rolling Loud attendees had to endure this past weekend to experience LA’s hottest hip-hop festival. 3.7 miles away from Exposition Park, independent minded hip-hop fans opted for another…

To simply call Khemmis Doom Metal would be a severe understatement. The quartet from Denver, Colorado have carved a special home for themselves within Extreme Metal with technical virtuosity, groove-heavy riffs and extremely catchy melodic vocal delivery. Their critically acclaimed 2016 release, Hunted, was as ground-breaking as it was masterful,…

Trudging through a muddy trail in Washington Park in Northwest Portland, the rain, a consistent and depressive downpour, soaked through my second-hand jacket and onto the layers beneath. The surrounding trees only a skeleton of their once-colorful foliage from the coming winter. Their vein-like branches, swallowing what light was left…

With their steel drawn and warpaint on full display, Ensiferum, the Melodic Folk Metal heroes from Helsinki, Finland took the stage at Bossanova Ballroom in Portland, Oregon ready to conquer. Their seventh full-length album, Two Paths, has been widely accepted as the epitome of modern Folk Metal while also being…

A$AP Ferg has been working hard consistently feeding the streets with banger after banger. In 2017, A$AP Ferg struck gold. He was already making a name for himself but then his single “Plain Jane” went viral. RIAA certified 4x Platinum, the song catapulted him from being one of hip hop’s…

It was a sunny day in Miami Florida and we were riding in a van on our way to the port - 5 band members and 2 parents and 1 super blessed photographer. Liliac was in the house. We were extremely excited as this was our first time on an…

Inspired by ancient civilizations and the savagery of modern society, NILE brought their devastatingly uncommon twist to Extreme Metal to Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon. With four years of calculated preparation, they have emerged from their tomb with a masterpiece. Vile Nilotic Rites is the latest album from the titans…

An enormous, black mass of rabid fans congregated outside Spokane Arena in Washington. The chill in the air couldn’t cool the blood that flowed through the veins of the legion of metalheads eagerly counting down the minutes till the doors opened to the massive arena. After nearly 4 decades of…

Back in 2017, my buddy sent me a random remix off of Youtube. It happened to be a remix of Tupac Shakur’s “Hit Em Up” by this rapper, Dax. I reluctantly clicked the link. I mean, “Hit Em Up” was a classic and those were some big ass shoes to…

Concerts are supposed to be fun. There is nothing better than grabbing your friends and heading out together to your favorite band’s concert. The atmosphere. The anticipation. As the evening progresses, the band plays perfectly, and everyone goes home happy. Last Friday night at the Observatory, I was embarking on…

Over the past decade, the electronic dance music scene has exploded and bled into every corner of our lives. While the scene’s origins can be traced back to underground warehouse parties in the 1980s, it’s now in every club in Vegas, all over the radio, in all forms of marketing/advertising,…

When I heard Simple Plan and State Champs were teaming up for a tour together, I got super hyped. I saw both on the final run of the Vans Warped Tour in 2018 and each had phenomenal performances. The pop-punk run that is happening today within the music scene is…