MUSIC NEWS: Mike Portnoy Updates Us On His New & Upcoming Projects

Mike has "a few things up his sleeve."

If you ask me, those are some bad-ass sleeves. He's all over the map: Beatles tribute band with old friends in Yellow Matter Custard, just off the road 3 months ago from a long trek with Avenged Sevenfold, and now he's cooking up something special with some of the most talented artists in the metal & Prog rock world of our decade.

Interview with Shaun McCoy of Bobaflex

Shaun McCoy - Guitarist/Vocalist of Bobaflex

Written by: Aaron Manogue

We’re all swamped within the information age and bombarded with less than adequate bands that spew out music just to keep their record label at bay. Very seldom do we have the pleasure of hearing a band stay true to their fans and themselves without ever selling out. In a nutshell, this describes one of the most genuine, hard rock bands still out there today. The guys in Bobaflex have been in the business for years now, and through struggles within the industry and outside of it, they’ve managed to stay relevant and remember how to play their trademark, soothe your soul one minute, kick your ass the next, rock and roll. Aaron Manogue sat down with Bobaflex guitarist and vocalist Shaun McCoy to talk about what they’ve been up to and what they have in store for our ear drum’s pleasure coming this summer.

Aaron Manogue: What’s Bobaflex been up to for the past year or two?

Shaun McCoy: Well a little ways back our record label went bankrupt so we ultimately had to fight a legal battle with the t-shirts and touring. Once we got through that, we started to record a new album called, “Hell in My Heart.” We paid for it ourselves, we paid for every recording, and we paid the producer ourselves. Right now we’re working on a late spring, early summer release.

A Short Post-Apocalyptic, Honest Film From TIMES OF GRACE: "Strength In Numbers"

"A haunting and thought-provoking ten minute film set to the music of Times of Grace; Strength In Numbers follows a man as he searches for his family and tries to survive in the wake of a nameless apocalyptic catastrophe."  (Shockhound)


Says Jesse Leach - "I am excited that this short film is making it's debut! Back when we filmed the video for Strength In Numbers, we thought we'd come out with a kick ass, epic video. As we filmed we all realized that the video was taking shape into something much bigger. That something is the short film.  Respect to Robby Starbuck and his crew for a great video and now this next chapter as a short! Enjoy!"

Nonpoint Release "Billie Jean" Studio Version Demo To Their Fans

Nonpoint promised their fans something special once their Official Facebook page hit 100,000 fans...

They've never let their fans down; not in live performances, not in the studio, and certainly not in person. Now they've raised the cyber-bar and kept a promise online to their community of fans.

They've released a free download to a new studio recording of their version of "Billie Jean!" The link posted on their Facebook page was accompanied by the following...

HRR Interview with Sevendust's Morgan Rose

Drummer, Morgan Rose, of Sevendust

Written by Aaron Manogue

The hard rock scene isn’t something that is easy to break into in a "big" way, and even when it does happen, there comes the constant struggle of staying relevant enough to continue successfully writing music and touring. Very few bands have figured out the precise formula to balance immense musical talent while simultaneously pleasing the "industry suits."

Since 1997, when they released their self-titled debut album, Sevendust has done that and so much more. They’ve gone through lineup changes, financial troubles, and everything else that rock ‘n’ roll has thrown their way.  Sevendust continues to write, record, and produce music that transcends the struggles and has formed them into one of the most stoic forces in the hard rock music scene. Hard-Rock-Reviews.com's Aaron Manogue chatted recently with Morgan about Sevendust...