Tasha Brown
Verified
The Judge Judy of Riffs(TM)
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Tasha Brown
ALBUM REVIEW: Alter Bridge - Alter Bridge
What comes to mind with the name ALTER BRIDGE? The monolithic Metalingus, mournful Blackbird, perhaps even the sultry Slip To The Void? Whatever the answer may be, the quartet brings with it prestige and countless honours within the hard rock sphere. With a glittering 20 year career it isn’t hard to see why. Rather than rest on those laurels, ALTER BRIDGE return from their two-year stasis with an ambitious self-titled album.
The Brown Edit: 14 Perfectly Neutral Makeup Staples I Use Over and Over Again as a Celebrity Makeup Artist
15 Flowering Annuals And Herbs To Plant In September As the weather cools and autumn rains break the late summer dry spell, gardeners can once again start planting in the garden. While fall is a wonderful time to plant perennials and deciduous shrubs, there are also numerous annuals that can be planted in September and beyond. These include …
Tasha Youngblood Brown Joins Women in Power TV to Share Her Vision for Purpose-Driven Leadership
Tasha Youngblood Brown Joins Women in Power TV to Share Her Vision for Purpose-Driven Leadership FL, UNITED STATES, September 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Tasha Youngblood Brown, Founder of The Brown Bag Collective and CEO of EvolvED Technology Ventures Corporation, is set to appear on Women in Power TV, where she shares how purpose, partnership, and impact drive her mission to empower leaders and learners.
Commentary: SBA’s retreat from Chicago puts the ball in the state's and city's courts
When the U.S. Small Business Administration announced recently that it would be closing its Chicago regional office, it offered a sad reminder of some of the changes I’ve witnessed in the city over the past three decades. I was born and raised in Chicago. I have lived on both the South and West sides. I was a member of First Baptist Congregational Church across from Union Park. I remember my pastor telling us that our neighborhood was going to change. He said there would be signs.
Killswitch Engage: Come What May
Resilience is one of the most powerful traits a person can possess. The ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable circumstances whilst maintaining the truest sense of oneself is what makes us human. Though there are many cogs to the machine in terms of conquering that which stands in our way, the one many cherish the most is the capacity to face life’s consequences and allow those trials to become tools for growth, come what may.
Beginner’s Guide to Installing a Lace Front Wigs at Home
Lace front wigs human hair have become a big game-changer in the beauty world, offering a natural hairline and versatile styling options. Whether you want to protect your natural hair or simply switch up your look, lace front wigs for women provide a smless and realistic finish. Installing a lace front wig human hair at home may seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools and techniques, you can achieve a flawless look without needing a professional stylist.
ALBUM REVIEW: This Consequence - Killswitch Engage
Imagine the scenario: your band releases a critically acclaimed album and you sit on the cusp of touring only for a global pandemic to cease any and all operation. The album you and your bandmates poured everything into becomes lost to the ether of restriction and rumination. You have a choice: sit and let the darkness of the world’s turmoil consume your unit, or emerge from the prison of COVID-19 armed with a musical suite filled with your venomous proclivity to fight back.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Rising - Stuck Mojo
“Haven’t you heard cream rises to the top” boast rap rock mob STUCK MOJO on their monolithic track Rising. While the stratospheric rise they sorely deserved never quite came to fruition, the meteoric album of the same name finally gets a reissue. Rising began life whilst STUCK MOJO were on tour promoting their genre-defining Pigwalk (1996).
ALBUM REVIEW: The End Will Show Us How - Tremonti
After a stratospheric year with CREED, Mark Tremonti sets his sights on further world domination with the monstrous sixth album from TREMONTI: The End Will Show Us How. Following 2021’s Marching In Time would seem a tall order to many. However the nature of vocalist/guitarist Mark Tremonti’s career has always been in the path of the underdog.
LIVE REVIEW: Sleep Token @ The O2, London
The maritime borough of Greenwich, London is awash with black clothing floating in the storm tinged winds. The Design District taken over by followers of SLEEP TOKEN looking to get their limited edition pieces from a specially designated pop-up merchandise emporium. With their wares obtained, fans flow into The O2 in their droves for night one of the London rituals. An hour-long wait between doors and a band taking the stage is a double edged sword.
LIVE REVIEW: Bury Tomorrow @ The Roundhouse, London
We’re now in the thick of winter. Darkness descends earlier and the weather is dismal at best. Yet that wasn’t about to stop BURY TOMORROW rolling through to The Roundhouse with their four band bill in tow. The task of opening proceedings falls to AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS who are greeted with an already well packed room. With vocalist Charlie Rolfe leading the charge, the High Wycombe brood wastes little time treating the early comers to an intense and emotional set.
ALBUM REVIEW: Merciless - Body Count
Think of the term ruthless aggression. Whether it musters up John Cena’s start to WWE, a particularly violent scene in a film, or a disgusting (complimentary) album, one word comes to mind; merciless. Showcasing their own brand of ferocity is the heavy metal brood BODY COUNT with their eight album aptly titled Merciless. Continuing their decade long resurgence from Manslaughter (2014), BODY COUNT has had to move with the times. In that they have gone from strength to strength.
Makeup Tips for the Season's Bold New Face
By Tasha Reiko Brown for The Style Glossy To look beautiful as the weather slowly begins to cool, you have to use a makeup strategy that’s different from the one you used in February. Sticking with summer’s bronzer will just look fake. What’s more refreshing and modern is giving the season its own signature face. This year, the frosty shades and tinsel-like shine are gone. Elegant matte texture has taken their place, and lips and cheeks are swept with bright pops of candy colour.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Art Of Letting Go - Myles Kennedy
The art of letting go is the act of freeing ourselves from mental anguish which affects our lives in a detrimental way, wherever it may lay on the spectrum of suffering. Enter our scene’s most trusted bard; MYLES KENNEDY who has outdone himself with his own suite of emotional emancipation. Following Year Of The Tiger (2018) and The Ides Of March (2021), The Art Of Letting Go spans ten tracks that have us purging our most spiritual selves.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Feel The Steel - Steel Panther
Pull out the hairspray, squeeze into that spandex, and call your coke dealer ‘cause we’re about to get all sorts of depraved with the band whose mission statement was the resurrection of heavy metal; STEEL PANTHER. Before the glam metal resurgence began with the release of Feel The Steel in 2009, STEEL PANTHER had garnered themselves quite the reputation.
Imminence: From The Black With Love
Since the dawn of time, living creatures have used music to express emotion. From mating calls to mourning and beyond. Between those are the moments humanity is susceptible to the Devil’s violin of our own malicious thoughts. Swirling within a place dubbed The Black for their latest album, Swedish band IMMINENCE add heartbreaking melodies to the gut wrenching reality things aren’t what they seem.
ALBUM REVIEW: From Hell I Rise - Kerry King
Five years ago the world bid farewell to the almighty SLAYER who bowed out in a blaze of glory on 30 November 2019. After a staggering 38 years sitting at the apex of thrash, the legacy was cemented and the band were free to do as they pleased, yet the demise came too early for one KERRY KING (guitar). Feeling he has a lot more left in the axe-wielding tank, King resurrects himself with the release of debut solo album From Hell I Rise.
EP REVIEW: Fears & Fractures
The EP is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? A sliver of another world. Just a taste of escape from reality. The small burst of creativity before falling back into the mundanity of our dwellings. There are times however where our Alice In Wonderland-esque dalliances with fantasy are mere wolves in sheep’s clothing, the bitter truth of ailing mental health wrapped within a saccharine coat of blissful ignorance. Armed with the latter of those two scenarios is Nottingham’s own WOLVES DON’T SLEEP.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: All You Can Eat - Steel Panther
Hold on to your pearls Mrs Lovejoy, we’re going on the prowl. Not with the STEEL PANTHER record which was released in 2023, but the close-to-the-bone glam metal sphere is where we shall stay. Come one and all ye power bottoms and settle down for All You Can Eat. April Fools Day 2014 may have brought some silly little pranks but it also heralded the return of one of Los Angeles’ sleaziest exports.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Dookie - Green Day
LADY GAGA once told NME GREEN DAY’s Dookie (1994) was the first album she ever bought; “I just wanted to lick the pages from the booklet! That particular album, I mean, it is iconic.”. Now Dookie’s booklet-licking goodness celebrates its 30th anniversary, it’s only right we dive into what makes the album so iconic. Dookie came at a time when things needed rearranging. Much like one’s guts after a bout of the diarrhoea from which this album draws its name.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Mötley Crüe - Mötley Crüe
Should a band change their name when there are tectonic shifts in their DNA? Whether it be a complete change in sound or the replacement of a core member, it is something to be considered. Which brings us to the interesting case of MÖTLEY CRÜE’s self-titled record. Following the success of Dr. Feelgood (1989) and compilation Decade Of Decadence (1991), the most notorious band in the world were facing increasing pressures of touring and the fragility of sobriety.
EP REVIEW: Revolution - Call Me Amour
call me amour, Circular Wave Records, Revolution, The Noise Cartel Mental health is ever present. We as a society have become much better at talking about what ails us, for the most part anyway. The rock and metal sphere may have been at the forefront of that but are we now oversaturated with odes to the malady? Does this mean newer material will fail to have the same impact as a result? Hoping this isn’t the case are CALL ME AMOUR with their debut EP Revolution.
EP REVIEW: Candy Pop - AWOLNATION
AWOLNATION, Better Noise Music, Candy Pop, Good As Gold Group The enigmatic and the absurd often go hand in hand. We as humans tend to have an adverse reaction to that which we don’t automatically understand. The key to conquering that however is subtlety – something which AWOLNATION has never been a fan of, let’s be honest. Carrying all the subtlety of a brick through a window, Aaron Bruno brings his brainchild to the forefront for EP Candy Pop.
Black Stone Cherry: The Courage Contagion
Ben Wells, Black Stone Cherry, Cosa Nostra PR, Screamin' At The Sky Grief is often a private process. Partly due to its intensity but more often than not this is down to the notion our emotions should be felt behind closed doors. While this is a taboo subject many still shy away from, BLACK STONE CHERRY has long flown the flag for pulling the stopper from the bottle and letting emotions run free. What more emotional a time than the p-word everyone has long since grown tired of?
Illinois can help small businesses avoid retirement savings crisis
There’s a looming retirement savings crisis across the country, and small businesses, especially those owned by people of color, are bearing the brunt of it. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed Illinois small businesses to their limits and highlighted the importance of saving. But even before the pandemic, smaller businesses were less likely to offer a workplace retirement plan, often because they needed more administrative or financial resources to do so.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Queen - Queen
With PINK FLOYD’s Dark Side Of The Moon and DAVID BOWIE’s Aladdin Sane decimating the scene, 1973 was a glorious time for music. Vinyl connoisseurs were always looking for the next big thing. The next statement. Then, rising from the ashes of SMILE, came a little band called QUEEN and their eponymous debut. Unlucky for some but 1973’s Friday the 13th proved fruitful for QUEEN. Though the process of making their first album wasn’t smooth sailing.
LIVE REVIEW: Fozzy @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
Fozzy, Kris Barras Band, Massive Wagons, O2 Forum Kentish Town London Heavy music and pro-wrestling have long been synonymous with each other. From THE MISFITS working matches for WCW in the 90s to OZZY OSBOURNE making guest appearances with WWE, to WWE bringing the NXT brand to Download Festival and beyond. Many wrestlers have walked through the curtain to the likes of METALLICA, ALTER BRIDGE, MOTÖRHEAD, and LIMP BIZKIT blasting through the performance space.
ALBUM REVIEW: Kings Of The Asylum - Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons
Kings Of The Asylum, Nuclear Blast Records, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons It’s doubtful a reminder that we live in difficult times is needed. With worsening sociopolitical issues moving to the forefront of everyone’s already rattled mind, a release is needed. With their brand of rock ‘n’ roll, PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS return to the fray with their third album Kings Of The Asylum. Just who those monarchs are will become clear shortly.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Hail To The King - Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold, Hail To The King, Warner Bros. Records Music can be a powerful healer for people across the globe. It salves the wounds of life. Helps us to help ourselves. What happens then when the people who provide the poultice are dealt their own blow? This was the case for AVENGED SEVENFOLD who lost their founding member and drummer James “The Rev” Sullivan in 2009. His legacy lives on within 2010’s Nightmare but could 2013’s Hail To The King step up to the plate?
Sevendust: Tonic For The Soul
Cosa Nostra PR, Lajon Witherspoon, Napalm Records, Sevendust, Truth Killer Music is a powerful thing. It salves our figurative wounds and helps us on our travels along life’s path. Metal Hammer even published an article with reports that listening to heavy metal actually decreases negative emotions while enhancing the positives. The sub-genres of metal and all their nuances encourage us to be open minded and embrace those who enjoy micro-genres.
The Raven Age: Empire Of Blood
Blood Omen, George Harris, Music For Nations, The Raven Age, Wilful Publicity Ever encountered an ill omen? Some small yet strange sign that something bad is going to happen? It isn’t anxiety we refer to on this occasion but something of prophetic significance. Take the raven for example. Harmless enough bird, Loki The Raven has a substantial following on TikTok for his penchant for stealing their keeper’s food.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Follow The Leader - Korn
Epic Records, Follow The Leader, KORN Let’s cast our mind back to a time when nu-metal was taken seriously. Was there ever really a time? Probably not but in the 90s this hybrid of metal and everything that wasn’t was all the rage. Though this would quickly lead to oversaturation and copy-cat syndrome. With everyone sounding like everyone else, who better to turn to for guidance than the founding fathers of nu-metal: KORN.
ALBUM REVIEW: Mammoth II - Mammoth WVH
When the surname Van Halen is thrown into the ring, grand expectations aren’t far behind. It’s something which Wolfgang Van Halen is more than used to at this point, having played in his namesake VAN HALEN in 1996, moving to TREMONTI, and finally into his own project MAMMOTH WVH.
Sicksense: The Quest For Authenticity
Regardless of whether we want to admit it, the music industry has changed and not necessarily for the better. Playlists and streams means tracks are available to us at the poke of a screen. Yet it also makes consumers fickle. Always searching for the next big trend or viral moment to jump on. Does that mean music has become more vapid? In the case of SICKSENSE, not at all. “This is more of a collection of my own favourite songs,” frontwoman Vicky Psarakis smiles about recent EP Fools Tomorrow.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Permission To Land - The Darkness
Atlantic Records, Permission To Land, The Darkness, Wilful Publicity Cast your mind back to… February of this year. No, we’ve not arbitrarily changed the parameters of Heavy Music History but think back to our review of BLACK STONE CHERRY’s show at London’s OVO Arena. The one with THE DARKNESS co-headlining. With us now? Excellent. Within that review came the command to “intensify” the bounce within one iconic song from THE DARKNESS. The track which, to many, started it all.
ALBUM REVIEW: Truth Killer - Sevendust
Cosa Nostra PR, Napalm Records, Sevendust, Truth Killer Everyone wants to know the secret to a band’s longevity. How does a band stay successful over a prolonged period of time? It’s the willingness to evolve whilst sustaining that which made you popular. A difficult duality, especially within the rock and metal spheres, but it can be done. Case in point: SEVENDUST’s Truth Killer – 12 tracks of pure SEVENDUST, with a little something to spice things up.
DevilDriver: Beyond The Veil
Cosa Nostra PR, Dealing With Demons Vol. II, Devildriver, Mike Spreitzer, Napalm Records How often do we as fans get to lift the veil on how a band’s album is recorded? To really know the process and see it all unfold before our very eyes. Sure there are documentaries such as METALLICA’s Some Kind Of Monster (2004) and various Behind The Scenes…series on YouTube, but there is something very telling about having a band member sit in front of you and really explain things.
LIVE REVIEW: Mötley Crüe (Dögs Of War) @ The Underworld, London
Dogs Of War, Motley Crew, Motley Crue, Outside Org, The Underworld When is a secret show not a secret show? When you’re MÖTLEY CRÜE masquerading as DÖGS OF WAR of course. Following not-so-cryptic posts on Instagram using the same typeface as MÖTLEY CRÜE’s promotional materials, tickets for The Underworld sold out within 20 seconds.
ALBUM REVIEW: Blood Omen - The Raven Age
Blood Omen, Music For Nations, The Raven Age, Wilful Publicity THE RAVEN AGE have had a decent run of late: a successful tour opening for IRON MAIDEN, signing to Music For Nations, and a slew of popular singles to boot. But now the real test comes with the release of their new album Blood Omen. The third mainline album is the successor to Conspiracy(2019) and once again picks up the story of The Raven King. That’s the guy on the album cover. What of Exile(2021)?
EP REVIEW: Your Future Is Metal - Your Future Is Metal
Let’s take a look at two of our scene’s biggest bands at the moment: GHOST and SLEEP TOKEN. Aside from being marmite bands, what do they have in common? Alluring frontmen bringing dehydration to the yard, yes, but that’s not what we’re getting at. There’s an air of anonymity. Masks and pseudonyms rule the roost. An effective campaign to garner attention. So imagine the expectations when we’re told YOUR FUTURE IS METAL has nameless ghouls among the ranks.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Indestructible - Disturbed
Disturbed, Indestructible, Reprise Records Long before David Draiman dominated metal news with his Tinder escapades and social media wasn’t awash with bastardised versions of Down With The Sickness, DISTURBED released a slew of albums. One of those being Indestructible which celebrates its 15th anniversary to little fanfare… except for Heavy Music History’s corner of the internet. The lead up to Indestructible was a dark time for Draiman (vocals) to say the least.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Saints Of Los Angeles - Mötley Crüe
Eleven Seven Music, Motley Crue, Saints Of Los Angeles If you’re noticing a surge in glam metal chat here on Distorted Sound, you have this particular writer to thank and here we are again diving into one of music’s guiltiest pleasures. Though this entry only has us travelling to 2008… and we’re not so sure we can refer to MÖTLEY CRÜE as glam metal any longer. Regardless of arbitrary genre boundaries, 2023 marks 15 years of Saints Of Los Angeles.
ALBUM REVIEW: Lightning In The Ashes - Forged In Black
Fighter Records, Forged In Black, Imperative PR British Heavy Metal. There’s nothing like it. The forefathers of BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST shredded so we at Distorted Sound could exist. IRON MAIDEN became one of British metal’s greatest exports. With a pedigree such as that while existing in the same realm as the almighty Ronnie James Dio, the pressure is on for up and coming British heavy metal. Facing this gauntlet are FORGED IN BLACK with their new release Lightning In The Ashes.
ALBUM REVIEW: Chronicles Of The Kid - Ayron Jones
If there’s one thing we know about Seattle, Washington – it’s that some of the greatest music of all time has flowed from its streets. From JIMI HENDRIX to HEART and SOUNDGARDEN to FOO FIGHTERS, the calibre is almost second to none (the UK did birth heavy metal after all). Though chalking up a reputable legacy of his own is AYRON JONES, who after having supported DAUGHTRY on their recent UK tour is set to drop his sophomore album Chronicles Of The Kid.
ALBUM REVIEW: Born Under A Mad Sign - Church Of Misery
Born Under A Mad Sign, Church of Misery, Rise Above Records After seven years and a blistering set at Desertfest London in which the Electric Ballroom was laid to waste, the time has come for CHURCH OF MISERY to deliver new material. Since their inception in 1995, the legendary wielders of Japanese doom have delved into the depravity of various serial killers, rapists, and otherwise bad apples. The Tokyo bred band shows no signs of change as Born Under A Mad Sign finally appears.
ALBUM REVIEW: Memorrhage - Memorrhage
Let’s cast our minds back to the 90s. Some of our readers, and indeed our writers, may be a touch too young to remember the glory days of KORN and MUDVAYNE. Moving into the 00s, some may not even have been into metal when SLIPKNOT reached their peak. Grimy nu-metal dominated the alternative scene, with one particular song from NINE INCH NAILS becoming a firm favourite for sexy time playlists. Alternative and industrial metal were the flavours of the month and we couldn’t have been happier.
ALBUM REVIEW: Echoes Of A Dreamless Life - E.B. & The Deadlights
While not a wholly popular genre now, shock rock still carries some esteemed names. ALICE COOPER for example had a chokehold on the rock scene throughout the 80s for his less than savoury content. As time’s gone on, the likes of ROB ZOMBIE and since disgraced MARILYN MANSON picked up the mantle.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Atlantic Years - Ratt
If we were to ask you who were the pioneers of glam metal, where would RATT feature on the list? Would they even chart? With Round And Round being the only track to pop up on glam metal playlists among the likes of KISS, POISON, and CINDERELLA, RATT have been wrongly branded as a one hit wonder throughout the years. In association with Rhino Entertainment, BMG brings us The Atlantic Years of RATT.
EP REVIEW: Fools Tomorrow - Sicksense
Say what you will; the nu-metal resurgence is here whether you like it or not. While collectives such as BLACKGOLD want us to “Make nu-metal great again”, some will argue the genre wasn’t all that to begin with. That doesn’t stop the likes of recently reviewed CROSTPATHS or the returning SICKSENSE however, with the latter releasing their second EP, Fools Tomorrow, this coming Sunday.
HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Meteora - Linkin Park
There are some words which evoke a multitude of emotions. Sometimes that can come from the connotations of the word while other times it breeds from the memories attached to said term. One of those being Meteora. In the physical sense, Meteora is a rock formation in Greece which houses one of the largest complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries. It is a place where people travel to for spiritual awakening. This feeling of enlightenment is what LINKIN PARK wanted to capture with their second album.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with Tasha
Contact Tasha, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack