Palaceburn

Hyro the Hero, also known as Hyron Louis Fenton Jr., released his full-length album Flagged Channel in 2018, fusing hip-hop with metal. Since then, he has collaborated with rock and metal vocalists such as David Draiman (Disturbed), Chad Gray (Mudvayne, Hellyeah). His recent single “FU2” features Fire from the Gods singerAJ Channer.

On this Juneteenth, Bell and Hyro talk about their roots and what this day means to them. They both speak openly about being Black in America and share how music has been a catharsis for each of them through difficult and frustrating times.

Read our latest “Heavy Culture” interview with Palaceburn’s Meredith Bell and Hyro the Hero below: - Consequence Of Sound

I only had time for a half day at Afropunk on Saturday, so I decided to catch the best bang for my buck at the raucous "red stage", which had a heavier lineup than the other stages.

First up was the hard-rock Philly band, Palaceburn, who had guitar licksfor days and an energetic lead singer who's vocal's were strong and unique. Having gotten to the venue early, I ran in to a few of the members of the band before the gates opened and chatted for a bit about the festival. Learning that that it was their first ever performance in NYC was a surprise, but make no mistake - this band will be back and the will garner some well deserved attention. - Pancakes and Whiskey

Summer is here!… and it was time for another round of awesome female fronted metal! Flight of the Valkyries, Baltimore’s premier female fronted metal fest was back for another round with Flight of the Valkyries 7: Summer Scorcher! Although, on the day of the event, there was an unofficial, last minute name change: Flood of the Valkyries: Monsoon Madness! Unfortunately, on that day, Baltimore was plagued by severe thunderstorms, torrential rain, and flooded streets. This did impact attendance somewhat, but most metal fans are hard core enough that they won’t let a little thing like flooding keep them from their music… so attendance was still decent!
There were four bands on the roster that night, the first of which was Palaceburn, a five piece hard rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was the only band of the night that I had never seen live before. They released an EP called “The Awakening” in 2013 and apparently have a second album on the way this year. They are fronted by the talented Meredith Bell. At one point in the set, Meredith semi apologized to the audience because they were not truly a “metal band” playing at a metal fest… but from my perspective… heavy music… great guitars… powerful vocals… screams… head banging…. It seemed pretty damn metal to me!! They played a heavy ten song set and I was impressed with the band musically and vocally. Definitely a great kick off to the night! - AFTERNOIZ

My dude Smitty from Zenergy Entertainment recently started working with a very cool band out of Philly called Palaceburn. He asked me to give it a listen and to let him know what I thought. Well, as expected, they’re awesome! I gave a listen to the songs “Believe,” “Your Secret,” “So Gone” and “Breathless” and I have to say singer Meredith Bell is a powerhouse! Wow! After listening to the opening riff of “Breathless,” which has a nice, thick, chunky riff, I wondered how a female vocal would fit into the song. I couldn’t believe what I heard. I stood corrected! Her vocal made that song a song, if that makes any sense whatsoever. In fact, Bell’s voice complements every song that I listened to and they were all heavily riffed. I really enjoyed what I heard from Palaceburn, so far!

According to their bio, Palaceburn was originally known as the Meredith Bell Band, but it was Meredith who quickly realized that music was not something she wanted to pursue by herself. So, she went out and recruited a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer, and began working on their 2013 debut EP, The Awakening, which introduced the band to the Philly music scene. With anthemic songs like “So Gone” and the ballad “Trouble,” Palaceburn quickly gained notoriety for their sound, energy on stage and Meredith’s powerful voice. The four-piece act realized they wanted a fuller sound for their music and in 2015, became a five-piece band. Palaceburn went back into the studio, the amazing Architekt Studios in Butler, NJ to be exact, to work on what would become their second EP, Curses. The CD earned Palaceburn the “Local Shots Artist of The Month” on WMMR. Rounding out the band alongside Mererdith are guitarists Darren Makins and JP Miglionico, bassist Michael Marks and drummer Jonah Kazman.

Palaceburn recently added a new, unreleased song to their already strong rotation via their ReverbNation page, Reverbnation.com/Palaceburn, and they plan to release their first full-length CD in early 2017. The plan for them is to tour the Midwest this fall. For more info on Palaceburn, check them out at Facebook.com/Palaceburn. - The Aquarian Weekly

Here’s another band fresh in their career but with a level of maturity. It’s straight-up hard rock that would fit well in any of your playlists. I don’t want to compare the singer’s voice to Howard Jones because I hate it when journalists do it as a lazy race comparison, however Meredith Bell’s voice has that same booming power, like she is digging right down from her toes. I found this band through TikTok, so there isn’t much out there about them, but that makes me excited. I love seeing a band at such early stages, and Palaceburn could do really well. - Kerrang! Magazine