Author Archives: Low Gain

About Low Gain

I'm just a teenager, living in Southern Illinois, that loves music in general. I love attending festivals as it feels like everyone comes together as a giant family. I also look forward to hearing new music and passing it onto the masses. In my free time I play guitar, basketball, and attend high school.

Louder Than Life Spotlight: THROUGH FIRE

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*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Through Fire.

On Saturday, September 30th, Nebraska hard rockers Through Fire will be hitting the stage at the 4th annual Louder Than Life. The band came to be just last year after the band Emphatic decided to change their name. If you’ve been listening to rock radio for the last few years, Emphatic might sound familiar. They had hits like “Put Down The Drink” and “Remember Me” that received a lot of air time. I don’t think they play any material from those days as they already have their full debut record out as Through Fire. ‘Breathe’ dropped last year and charted very well in the US for a debut rock artist’s release. Their song “Stronger” played a large part in this. It stayed atop Sirius XM Octane’s “Big Uns” list for many weeks. This will be the band’s second Danny Wimmer Presents festival. They opened up the inaugural Chicago Open Air festival last year right as their record was released. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air 2017 Day Three: Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Lamb of God, Amon Amarth, Behemoth, & More

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We have finally arrived to the last day of Chicago Open Air. Sunday was the reason many of us made the trip for this huge three day weekend. By the time it rolled around, some fans were calling it “Death Day”.  You could definitely understand where they were coming from. There were several heavy hitters taking the stages today including Ozzy and Zakk Wylde, Slayer, Lamb of God, Amon Amarth, DevilDriver, Behemoth, and more. Lots of running back and forth would lead to a very tiring day. Luckily, it ended up being the coolest day of the weekend, which made it a bit more bearable. Continue reading to see our review on the most electric day of the festival. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air 2017 Day Two: Korn, Godsmack, Avatar, Clutch, Body Count, & More [Photo Gallery]

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After an electric first day, it was time to get back up early Saturday morning to head in for day two of Chicago Open Air. Several great performances from bands like Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Anthrax, Crobot, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Code Orange, and more had all of us very interested to see if the second day could top it. With Korn, Godsmack, Avatar, Body Count, Clutch, and several others, we knew it would be very close. It only took a few performances and we already knew that Saturday would be on an even higher level. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air 2017 Day One: Kiss, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, The Dillinger Escape Plan, & More [Photo Gallery]

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It has been a few days, but we are still recovering from an absolutely legendary weekend at Toyota Park. We witnessed several remarkable performances across the rock and metal genres from bands like Code Orange, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Clutch, Body Count, Godsmack, Amon Amarth, Avatar, and more. There were the classic artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, and Metal Church while new comers like Aversed, Whores., Code Orange, Crobot, and more lit it up early in the day. Without these younger bands, there won’t be any of these festivals in the future, so make sure you get out early and support these young talents. The wide variety of bands playing the festival made for an eventful weekend as there was something for everyone attending. Today’s article will be about the performances on Friday. Before I dive into that, I’d like to talk about the other experiences at Chicago Open Air. Continue reading →

Danny Wimmer Presents Releases “Driven” Interview with COREY TAYLOR

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Just about an hour ago, festival promoters Danny Wimmer Presents released an incredible video with Corey Taylor asking what drives him. It’s an interesting, motivating interview that I highly recommend watching. This is the second edition of “Driven”. The first “Driven” was released with member of Korn. You can check it out below. Don’t miss Corey Taylor performing with Stone Sour at several Danny Wimmer Presents festivals including Chicago Open Air, Aftershock, Houston Open Air, and Louder Than Life. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: CLUTCH

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*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Clutch.

This Saturday, Maryland rockers Clutch are bringing a barrage of fantastic music to Chicago Open Air. The quartet will be headlining the BlackCraft Stage at 7:20. Personally, I’m looking forward to these guys as much as anyone else playing at the fest. They have released 11 albums and every single one of them kick ass. The pure rock fury that they deliver is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Neil Fallon has the perfect voice for a mix of blues and rock and roll and is one of the most unique vocalists I’ve heard. Tim Sult overloads our minds with extremely catchy riffs that make for fun jam sessions. Check out our interview with Tim at the Louder Than Life festival last year here. Jean-Paul Gaster is severely underrated on the drums. To fully appreciate Gaster, I recommend checking out his work in The Bakerton Group. The Bakerton Group is literally all four members of Clutch except it’s an instrumental band instead. Dan Maines also drives several grooves of the band on the bass. His work is especially strong on their debut record ‘Transnational Speedway League’ on songs like “A Shogun Named Marcus” and “El Jefe Speaks”. Continue reading →

OZZFEST MEETS KNOTFEST To Feature Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Stone Sour, Eighteen Visions

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It appears that the rumors from early this morning are true. Ozzfest Meets Knotfest is absolutely stacked this year! The festival went extremely heavy this year booking acts such as Possessed, The Black Dahlia Murder, Goatwhore, Decrepit Birth, Code Orange, and many more incredible acts. This will be the festival’s second year taking place at Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California. 2016 was a very successful year with over 75,000 in attendance for Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Megadeth, Slayer, and more. This year the festival falls in early November on the 4th and 5th, tickets can be purchased here when they go on sale this Friday on July 14th. Here’s what Ozzy and Sharon have to say about this year:

OZZY OSBOURNE: “Last year’s show with Black Sabbath was just incredible and I’m thrilled to be coming back this year with Zakk, Tommy, Blasko and Adam to headline the 21st anniversary of Ozzfest.”

SHARON OSBOURNE: “Ozzfest Meets Knotfest is coming back for another round. Last year we had over 75,000 people attend and we have another great lineup this year with Ozzy’s first solo show in L.A. in more than six years. This is not just another show…it’s Ozzfest Meets Knotfest! And this year’s event means the world to me as we’ll be amongst friends like Prophets of Rage, Rob Zombie, Deftones, Marilyn Manson and Stone Sour…it’s going to be another amazing weekend.”

Check out the full lineup below and get ready for a crazy weekend California!! Continue reading →

THE NUCLEAR POWER TRIO (Members of ALLEGAEON, HAVOK, CEPHALIC CARNAGE, JOB FOR A COWBOY) Release Music Video

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Just an hour ago, something legendary was released. For the last week, Havok and Allegaeon have been teasing something with satirical political photos with Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, and Mike Tyson. The wait has finally ended and we get to see what it’s all about. Members from Allegaeon, Havok, Cephalic Carnage, and Job For A Cowboy all gathered together for the ultimate side project, The Nuclear Power Trio. Kim Jong Un is shredding on guitar, Donald Trump creating funky basslines, and Mike Tyson shredding on the drum kit. What is seen in the video below can’t be unseen. I’m hoping that this is just the start and there will be more music to come. See what the band members have to say and check out the instrumental jam below and be on the lookout for more music from The Nuclear Power Trio. Check out the masks created by Landon Meier at http://www.hyperflesh.com. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: AVERSED

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*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Aversed.

On Sunday, July 16th, students from the Berklee College of Music will bring their melodic death metal sounds to Chicago Open Air. Aversed is a 5-piece, female-fronted band that formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 2009. The band was added to the festival just a few weeks before the schedule was released so you won’t see them on the poster below. This was a much needed addition as the festival was lacking a female-fronted group. They hit the BlackCraft Stage on Sunday very early at 12:05 p.m. but it will be a performance you don’t want to miss. I’ve always found that some of the best performances of a festival will take place very early in the day. Read a little bit about how Aversed is preparing for the festival in this article from The Artery on WBUR 90.9 here.

Aversed released their debut EP last year in November titled ‘Renewal’. “Prison of Existence” opens the EP with a ferocity that shows they are more than just a band to get the day started off. Drawing influence from several bands playing the fest that day like Behemoth, Ozzy Osbourne, and Slayer, they create an extreme sound similar to that of the most recent Arch Enemy record. Even with only 5 songs, the EP clocks in at about 30 minutes with its epic combination of death metal growls, melodic vocals, fast-paced rhythms, and god-tier shredding from the guitarists. Check out “Prison of Existence” and a music video for the title track “Renewal” below. The video shows that the band puts a lot of energy into their live shows so I’m looking forward to seeing them own the stage very soon. This will be the quintet’s first time playing a Danny Wimmer Presents event. Buy your tickets to see Aversed make their festival debut at Chicago Open Air here. Follow the band on Facebook for upcoming news on brand new music and tours. Also follow the festival page for updates and additions to the festival in the coming days. 8 more days people!!

Aversed is:
Haydee Irizarry – Lead Vocals
Sungwoo Jeong – Guitar/Vocals
Alden Marchand – Guitar
Martin Epstein – Bass
Jeff Saltzman – Drums


Chicago Open Air Spotlight: MUSHROOMHEAD

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*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Mushroomhead.

On Saturday, July 15th, the legendary seven piece brings their experimental metal sound to Chicago Open Air from Cleveland, Ohio. They hit the BlackCraft Stage at 4:15 right after Avatar crushes the Monster Energy Main Stage. I believe Mushroomhead will leave a strong impression among the crowd that will be deserving of a main stage spot in the future. Since forming in 1993, Mushroomhead has always had a bit of a cult following that has kept them on the map. Their devoted fans have stayed loyal after all these years because of the band’s extreme passion for their music. The segment they do in their show with the water drums is something that has to be seen live. It’s truly one of the most unique things you will see in a live setting. For many years, people have argued over Slipknot or Mushroomhead. Instead of doing that, I’ve learned to appreciate both with their similarities and also their vast differences as artists. Continue reading →