A bastard child born of the mid 90s punk/metal/hardcore movement, Washington, DC’s DARKEST HOUR combine the passion, energy, and soul of punk/hardcore with the style, speed, vengeance and fury of melodic speed/thrash/death metal.

DARKEST HOUR have helped defined the entire New Wave of American Metal sound as one of the pioneers of modern metal/core. A sound that gave the metal and hardcore/punk world the revitalization it surely needed. This style blended the raw, hardcore punk of the 80s, with the Scandinavian death metal of the 90s and forged a sound that would later become the template for modern metal.

Since their inception 23 years ago, Darkest Hour has released 9 studio full lengths (via 11 different record labels), appeared in major motion pictures, US television shows, video games, and have toured the world extensively covering 6 of the 7 continents.

Darkest Hour is: Mike Schleibaum – Guitar John Henry – Vocals Nico Santora – Guitar Aaron Deal – Bass Travis Orbin – Drums

RINGWORM, the reigning kings of destructive hardcore metal, have brought forth yet another testament to their sheer brutality: The Venomous Grand Design. Ever since their emergence from the Cleveland metal scene, RINGWORM has garnered the immediate attention of hardcore metal fans, leading them to spots on tour with bands such as Blood For Blood, Hatebreed, and Terror. RINGWORM displays an awesome ferocity in the power of their instruments, and vocalist the Human Furnace uses his voice as a tool to extract the diabolical nature of anyone who hears it.
RINGWORM was spawned in 1991 from the metal scene in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1993, the band released The Promise on Incision Records, finding their place amongst other hardcore metal heavyweights such as Terror and Earth Crisis. However, despite this early success, RINGWORM decided to pursue personal ventures, the Human Furnace concentrated his focus on tattooing and his artwork, while other members joined up with hardcore legends Integrity. Nearly 10 years later, 2001 saw RINGWORM emerge from their dark place in the shadows with their critically acclaimed Victory Record’s debut: Birth Is Pain. Extensive touring followed, although this was interrupted by personal ventures, as the Human Furnace owns a chain of tattoo shops, and guitarist Frankie “3 Gun” Novinec was touring with fellow hardcore deity, Terror. However, 4 years later, Justice Replaced By Revenge was released. Following their extensive touring in support of their latest album, RINGWORM made record time recording their latest offering: The Venomous Grand Design. In 2013, RINGWORM signed to Relapse Records and plan to release a new album the same year.
Destined to be a mainstay in every hardcore metal fan’s headphones, RINGWORM’s The Venomous Grand Design summons forth a new frenetic rage, breathing life into the rage within human kind that has gone unanswered for so long. RINGWORM shows any newcomers to the genre exactly what hardcore metal is supposed to be.

ROTTEN SOUND are celebrating their 20th anniversary of Grindcore and chaos during the whole year of 2013. This crushing party begins with the release of the “Species at War” EP in January. Afterwards the wrecking will continue with many tours and festival performances all around the globe. 2013 promises to become the most intense year in the two decades of ROTTEN SOUND’s existence: “Our plans are huge and we are aware that some events may not happen, but we are working very hard to bring our music to the ears of as many people as possible”, states frontman Keijo Niinimaa, after returning from the honourable position of lead guest singer at the “NASUM Farewell Tour” in 2012. “We will visit some new places, while continuing to bomb those we have been playing in since the very beginning of the band. We are also determined to arrange one hell of a party before the end of 2013 to celebrate our 20 years of existence.”

ROTTEN SOUND’s opening assault “Species at War” contains 6 brand new tracks, which are attached to each other in order to create one insane ride through aggression and despair with a few heavier passages sprinkled in. Where “Cursed” (2011) went through the curses of humanity, “Species at War” deals with the evil consequences of wars caused by religions and cultures. “We felt that ‘Cursed’ needed a closing chapter both musically and lyrically”, continues Niinimaa. “Therefore we decided to take everything a step further in terms of chaos and heaviness. All lyrics were written during a weekend last summer and I ended up recording them the very next week, when everything was still fresh in my mind. That paid off, because it feels as if this whole release is lyrically just one epic song.

Musically ROTTEN SOUND mercilessly attack, delivering the sonic equivalent of an apocalyptic battlefield with their seventh EP “Species at War”. True to the tradition of classic Grindcore, this stunning inferno is presented in 8:05 minutes. Yet the Finns make every second count. This brutal mind-blowing onslaught of downtuned guitar and bass smashes all resistance. A fierce barrage from the drums pushes relentlessly forward and the vocal growls roll like thunder over the shell shocked ground. Then again ROTTEN SOUND deliver more than just a musical illustration of the horrors of war. A dark but warm streak runs though their Grindcore onslaught enhanced by Death Metal precision, which expresses such unexpected emotions like melancholy, longing and passion. This might serve to explain together with their outstanding technical abilities, why a band with such extreme intensity hits the charts in their native Finland with each release since the mid-2000s.

ROTTEN SOUND were formed on one insane night of July 1993, during the aftermath of a VOMITURITION studio session. The band recorded a bunch of EP’s and splits before they released their first two full-lengths, “Under Pressure” (1997) and “Drain” (1998). After the “Still Psycho” MCD (2000), which was also their first proper release in North America, the Finns started to tour more actively. This took the band to a higher level and when “Murderworks” was released in 2005, media and public recognized and praised the massive new force in Scandinavian Grind. Following this success, ROTTEN SOUND’s sound evolved on “Exit” (2005), the “Consume to Contaminate” MCD (2006) and the “Cycles” album (2008), which added more heavy parts and some of the forgotten Crust elements from their early years. Their latest full-length “Cursed” shook the world on impact in 2011.

Playing live has always been a high priority for ROTTEN SOUND and their journeys led them to share stages with CARCASS, EXHUMED, VICTIMS, DISFEAR, PHOBIA, MISERY INDEX, NASUM, PIG DESTROYER, NAPALM DEATH, DOOM and many other leading bands of the extreme music scene, which they shaped in union with the Finns. Now 2013 will be more than just another year for shaking the foundations of live venues and assaulting people with deadly Grindcore. ROTTEN SOUND are also planning to re-enter the studio in order to record their next album straight after the extensive touring is done. Yet first it’s time to get on the road and to have the final anniversary party heralded by “Species at War”. “Keep your eyes peeled, follow the news and join the Grindcore party in a city near to you!”, finishes Niinimaa. War is here!

Brody Uttley: Guitar / Keyboards
Adam Biggs: Vocals / Bass
Jared Klein: Drums / Vocals
Andy Thomas: Rhythm Guitar / Vocals

Rivers of Nihil have never fit neatly into a box, but with 2018’s Where Owls Know My Name, they transcended all labels applied to them. Returning in 2021 with The Work, they forged further into new territory, once again upending any expectations fans had placed on them. And now, with a new series of singles recorded in early 2023 that will be released in the coming months and eventually appear together on an album, the band has once again shattered the ceiling of how far they are willing to go in search of new sonic terrain.

The Reading, Pennsylvania-based progressive death metalers spent 2021 and 2022 burning the candle at both ends with a frenzied tour schedule including headline runs of the U.S. and Europe, a jaunt on the European festival circuit and two runs in support of The Black Dahlia Murder and The Contortionist in North America. But once the latter tour wrapped up, they were short a band member.

For personal reasons, founding member and lead vocalist Jake Dieffenbach and the band went their separate ways. The split took place just three days after the recording of a live video and audio session for Audiotree‘s new ‘From Nothing‘ series, which was released on April 20, 2023. And while initially the band wasn’t sure how to approach the release with the departure of a founding member and lead singer – or whether to release it at all – they decided to move forward with it to honor Dieffenbach’s contributions to the group over the years and mark the beginning of a new chapter.

In March 2023, Rivers of Nihil wrapped up a recording session that saw the now four-piece band birth a considerable amount of new music featuring their previous bassist/backup vocalist Adam Biggs as the new lead vocalist/bassist. This recording session also marked the first appearance of new guitarist Andy Thomas (ex-Black Crown Initiate), whose vocals also play prominently in the music, as a member of Rivers of Nihil. These new singles are the first to showcase the band’s new lineup in full-on collaboration, and demonstrates that while this is a new, brave sound with tons of potential, it also carries the band’s classic energy.