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• Torchlight Parade’s Children of the Night: A Macabre Celebration of Rock and Horror
  in Rock, Prog-Rock, Metal
  

  Few bands embrace their identity with the theatrical gusto of Torchlight Parade. The St. Louis mortuary metal troupe has returned with Children of the Night, a full-length release through Pavement Entertainment that stands as much a celebration of horror culture as it does a statement of hard rock conviction. What makes Torchlight Parade compelling isn’t just their sound but the authenticity behind it.

  Fronted by licensed embalmer and vocalist Matt Engel and his brother Doug, a hearse-driving lead guitarist, the band quite literally lives the world it projects on stage. That sense of gothic reality is further grounded by family ties, with Doug’s son Samuel locking down the low end on bass and Gavin Martin driving the pulse on drums. Together, they’ve forged not only a distinctive sound but an immersive live experience that pushes rock beyond performance into full-scale spectacle.

• Oceans On Orion Find Catharsis in Chaos with “Met My Match”
  in Rock, Prog-Rock, Metal
  

  A raw, confessional single that tears down façades while carrying forward the band’s evolving sound.

  With their latest single “Met My Match,” Oceans On Orion push into darker, more vulnerable territory, crafting a track that’s raw in emotion and relentless in sound. Rather than offering closure, the song lingers in the aftermath, echoing the words spoken in haste and the recognition that our flaws are often reflected back by those we love. It’s confessional, chaotic, and painfully honest.

  Confessional in tone yet explosive in delivery, “Met My Match” refuses to dress pain in metaphor or disguise it behind polished sentiment. Instead, it exposes the mess head-on, amplifying regret, chaos, and brutal self-awareness into something that feels both cathartic and cuttingly relatable. For anyone who has ever stared at their phone after a 2 a.m. text they wish they hadn’t sent, the song provides not comfort, but company in the wreckage.

• Dystopica Unleash Semblance of Order: A Fierce New Chapter in Modern Metal
  in Rock, Prog-Rock, Metal
  

  With their fourth record, Semblance of Order, Dystopica steps boldly into a new phase of creative evolution. Released through Pavement Entertainment, the EP serves as both a declaration and recalibration, signaling a move toward a heavier, more assertive identity while still honoring the melodic and progressive instincts that define their sound. Across all seven tracks and just over twenty-two minutes, the record delivers a concentrated statement of intent: faster, harder, and uncompromising in execution.

  Produced by Nick Bellmore, whose resume includes work with iconic figures like Dee Snider, Corpsegrinder, and Hatebreed, the EP benefits from a production style that feels tight and modern without sterilizing the band’s natural edge, with a mix balancing weight and clarity. Compared to Perception (2021), Deception (2022), and Infinite Reflection (2024), this release feels more focused and deliberate, honing in on heaviness with songs that are concise, layered, and unmistakably memorable.

• The Best Of NZM: An In-Depth Review of Nick Z. Marino’s Pivotal Works
  in Rock, Prog-Rock, Metal
  

  The Best Of NZM (CD-R)

  © 2024 FireRock Music Group / MVD Audio 0 679065 863556

  12 tracks = 44'38"

  Written by Rick Patterfield

  Do you remember US self-released hard rock / heavy metal CDs from the 1990s? Man, they were great things themselves, and far more often than not contained simply great music. Music for which record labels at that grunge times had no sympathy at all — but that music was still very interesting, not only for keen record collectors, myself included. Ask any respected hard’n’heavy lover about such CDs from early Seventh Omen or Vamp Le Stat, for example, and see (or hear?) what happens.