Driving Force: Craig Artz (Gridlokt, A Fall To Break, Xenocode Studio)

By: Salvia Hex

In this installment of Driving Force, we sit down and talk with Craig Artz, the main man and driving force behind numerous Tucson bands like Gridlokt, A Fall To Break, Answer To None and Xenocide Digital Recordings.

Craig has been ensconced in the Tucson music scene for the better part of 15 years now. He spent many of these years as the creative and motivational force behind Gridlokt, a band that toured extensively throughout the western states and opened shows for some heavy hitters in the industry like Superjoint Rutual and Devildriver. Gridlokt recently got back together for a reunion show this January, proving once again that they can sell out any venue they're booked, and that they haven't lost a beat in their time off.

Reviews: Seas Will Rise "Disease Is Our Refrain"

By: Garviel Loken

When you mix up and ingest too many kinds of hard liquor, you can find yourself praying for death the next morning as you suffer the consequences of your debauchery. This too applies to some albums, where bands fail to write good songs and try to cram in disproportional amounts of stylistic changes into the mix. This creates a quantity over quality scenario and what you get is a jumbled up piece of crap that leaves the listener feeling cheated and wanting to throw the music onto the ash heap of history. Thankfully, Seas Will Rise avoids this pitfall by a very wide margin on their new album, "Disease is Our Refrain".

Upcoming Shows: April/May/June 2012

As usual, there are tons of great shows coming through Arizona this spring. Make sure you get out of the house and hit one of these shows. Being there is the best kind of support!

The great shows all kick off with the ethereal Alcest at The Rogue in Phoenix on April 16th.

Stand With Fists is doing an underground glow show at The Runway in Tucson on April 19th. This show is being done in concordance with an industrial artist, so expect the unexpected.

Then of course that weekend is every stoner's favorite holiday. As such, there are plenty of 420 themed shows to go around. First up is Lethal Dosage's 420 Fest at The Rock in Tucson on April 20th.

Reviews: Rituals "Rituals"

By: Salvia Hex

Our Moon is steadily moving away from planet Earth. Every year it gets an inch or two farther away from us. At some point in the distant future it will completely escape the gravitational bonds of Earth and will slip away into the cold reaches of our solar system, tumbling out of even the sun's grasp in the heliosphere, until it breaks through the stagnation zone that encompasses our galaxy, fading away in the frigid emptiness of the the universe at large.

Science will tell you that this is because the Earth is so much larger than the Moon, that over the ages the Earth has slowly locked the Moon into it's orbit through it's greater size and gravity, and because of the tidal forces created by these two stellar masses, the Earth is now actually pushing the Moon farther from us through tidal bulges that form as the Moon crosses over the oceans as we slumber.

Science is wrong.

The real reason is Rituals.

Driving Force: Wayne Rudell (Powered Wig Machine)

By: Walter Kovacs

After a small hiatus, Driving Force is back. For this installation of Driving Force, we have an interview with undoubtedly one of the best band out of southeastern Arizona, Powered Wig Machine.

Their infectious blend of hard stoner-rock with a heavy metal chaser is habit forming. Some describe their music as being a fluid mix of Clutch, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Kyuss. If I had to compare them to a mixed drink, I would say that they would be akin to something like a Sazarac, big flavor with a strong powerful kick, a little spice and flair, and a whole lot of satisfying smoothness.

Reviews: TOAD "Rotten Tide"

By: Garviel Loken

Analog tape? Songs tracked live? Vintage gear? TOAD answers definitively yes on "Rotten Tide," a ripping and infectious album that won't leave your memory anytime soon. It is impossible to pause this album, the devil or some lesser demon just won't let you walk away from experiencing the complete work. Besides, before you know it, the music ends. In less than twenty-two minutes spread across five songs, this unholy creation of sound releases all the foul things that dwell in the dark spaces and casts them upon your ears.

Reviews: Methra "EP"

By: Garviel Loken

In a world of ten minute songs with constant tempo changes and staccato, off kilter time signatures, it is a nice thing to settle down with some music that eschews the polished veneer and delivers the bare bones. The newest Methra EP certainly does this, and no better phrase than "straight forward" can be found to describe what is contained in these five songs. So if you don't like to rock out to the not so delicate sounds of doom and sludge, please stop reading this review, dab some angel dust onto your eyes, and go party on with your speed metal. Now, where were we...