Named “Guitarist of The Year 2025” by Roadie Crew Magazine, Silas Fernandes is the embodiment of all of those fretboard shredders you loved in the early 90s. His current EP ‘Carbon Purge Acceleration’ presents a half dozen very heavy instrumental workouts, each of which help to showcase his explosive style.
Tag Archives: metal
LORD ELEPHANT – Ultra Soul
Occasionally, a band name is all you need to gauge what something probably sounds like. Truckfighters and Acid Mammoth are two great examples. Here’s another: Lord Elephant create an absolutely huge sound throughout their second album ‘Ultra Soul’. The record’s seven instrumental numbers often find the Italian band in a weighty frame of mind, bringing a world of riffs that blend doom, stoner metal and deep psych in a way that invites favourable comparisons with Earthless and Karma To Burn, as well as drawing influence from the instrumental elements of Down and Eyehategod – only making those influences feel more intense.
SHADOWBORN – Through The Hourglass EP
An ominous drone, a piercing sound from a synth and a feeling of rising tension create the ideal way to introduce Shadowborn’s debut EP. In just a few seconds, this gives ‘Through The Hourglass’ a feeling of unease, and the quiet but dark sounds also have the effect of making the subsequent riffs come through with a much bigger punch.
Nick Oliveri to release ‘N.O. Hits At All Volume 10’ in April
Nick Oliveri is one of those musicians who seems to be constantly busy. Although best known for his stints as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss, he’s also recorded an extensive discography with his own Mondo Generator, worked with Blag Dahlia, Turbonegro, Eagles of Death Metal, Melissa Auf Der Maur and various others, ensuring a near legendary status.
Watch: Premier Jester get ‘Pac-ed Out’ with new video
At the end of 2025, UK crossover act Premier Jester released ‘Slow Dance’, an absolutely crushing single that took a metalcore sound into more interesting places. The track’s hard edges really made a statement, and the choice of melodic chorus helped to make an insanely heavy number seem surprisingly catchy. With a perfect production value for the style and an overflowing of confidence on display, it was hard to believe the band could deliver such a well rounded, great sounding track considering they’d only formed just a few months together.