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.

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: DEVILDRIVER

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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 DevilDriver.

On Sunday, July 16th, there will be Clouds Over Chicago as DevilDriver hits the BlackCraft Stage at 2:00 at Chicago Open Air. You’ll see in just about any live footage of DevilDriver that they bring ridiculously large mosh pits through their entire set. Dez Fafara is one of the best at making a crowd go crazy. There’s a reason they did two separate US tours with Hatebreed last year. Although he is the only original member left of the band, they still continue to put out fantastic material constantly. They took a short hiatus after releasing their first album via Napalm Record in 2013 (‘Winter Kills’) so Dez could focus on his other incredible band, Coal Chamber. Fafara has even mentioned bringing Coal Chamber material into DevilDriver sets. It would definitely be interesting to see a mix of both of his projects but we will more than likely only get DevilDriver material in Chicago. DevilDriver returned quickly in 2016 with their new album ‘Trust No One’ and have been touring since then. Sunday will include an abundance of moshing with bands like them, Lamb of God, Amon Amarth, and Slayer all hitting the two stages on the same day. Continue reading →

DED Releases Music Video For “Anti-Everything” Via Sirius XM Octane

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Just a few hours ago, up and coming nu metal band DED released their second music video for their hit song, “Anti-Everything”. The video shows the things in the world that the band has obviously become sick of. The song was released about 4 months ago and has received a massive amount of airplay across the nation. It really took off on the Octane channel and spread to everywhere else. You can check out the song below. See what frontman Joe Cotela has to say about the song and video:

“We see these terrible things happening all over the world, and I don’t want to be associated with any of it,” Cotela said. “These negative acts and humans do not speak for me or the people that I surround myself with. I’m not going to tell anyone how to think, but I’m doing my best to stay conscious and aware of the way that I’m impacting the world. We should be past this bullshit. We are better than this. The images depicted here are only a small part of the influence of Anti-everything. There is so much more. The phrase can be left up to you to interpret based on you and your lifestyle. Anti-everything, to me, is me being beyond frustrated with the way things are to the point that I have to throw my hands up and say, ‘I’m none of this, I’m creating my own lane.”

The band has been seen across the country at festivals like Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Northern Invasion. They’ve also been on tour with the likes of Korn, Stone Sour, and Yelawolf. They will be playing even more fests later in the year including Chicago Open Air (tickets here) and Louder than Life (tickets here). DED‘s debut album, ‘mis•an•thrope’ will drop on July 21st via Suretone Records and can be pre-ordered here. Make sure to follow the band on Facebook for updates on more upcoming new music and tour dates. You can learn more about the band from our COA Spotlight.

DED is:
Joe Cotela – Vocals
David Ludlow – Guitar
Kyle Koelsch – Bass
Matt Reinhard – Drums

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: BEHEMOTH

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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 Behemoth.

On Sunday, July 16th, Chicago Open Air gets a taste of one of the world’s most acclaimed black metal bands, Behemoth. Since forming in 1991, the Polish black/death metal band has been known for their polarizing, intense live shows that sweep the crowd off of their feet. Typically meant for playing in the dark for the atmosphere, it will be interesting to see how Behemoth adjusts to bringing their full power into the sun. They are hitting the road here in the US with Lamb of God and Slayer so they definitely are not to be taken lightly. They are also one of the few bands that still put a great amount of thought into their music videos. Videos like “Ben Sahar”, “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel”, and “At The Left Hand Ov God” contain very vivid imagery rather than only showing the band performing like most bands do now. Some people may be turned away from them because of the satanic content but I encourage you to give them a chance live. I know several people that did not appreciate them until watching one of their incredible live shows. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: WHITECHAPEL

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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 Whitechapel.

On Friday, July 14th, yet another massively popular deathcore band hits the Chicago Open Air stage alongside Suicide Silence. Since forming in 2006, Whitechapel has consistently released great, heavy material and evolved slightly throughout each record. Phil Bozeman is considered to be one of the best vocalists in the wide variety of extreme metal with his mind boggling low screams. While being recognized for that, Bozeman also has a pretty solid singing voice. On the new record, ‘Mark of the Blade’, the band incorporates the clean vocals more often on tracks such as “Bring Me Home” and “Decennium”. You can check out the highly emotional video of “Bring Me Home” below. It has been a long time coming for Whitechapel to hit the US festival circuit. I saw them at Rock on the Range and they exceeded expectations. With one of the largest crowds on the third stage that weekend, they delivered a blistering setlist that tightly grasped the crowd for the entirety of the show. If you haven’t seen them already, you’re in for a treat. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: CROBOT

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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 Crobot.

On Friday, July 14th, groove rock titans Crobot will be storming onto the Chicago Open Air stage for the first time. The band has played several other Danny Wimmer Presents events including Carolina Rebellion, Rock on the Range, and Louder than Life. I had the chance to see them both times they played the Louder than Life festival and they are something special to watch. The vibe and energy that these guys create at a live show is astounding. The first time I saw them, I was only slightly familiar with the current record at the time (‘Something Supernatural’) when they absolutely blew the doors off of the place. Hitting the stage at around 12:00, Crobot played like they were closing the show. Lead singer Brandon Yeagley is constantly moving on the stage with a 70s-esque persona of a frontman. Bishop is roaring through a pile of incredible riffs while the Figueroa brothers are holding it down on the rhythm section. I’ve always loved discovering new, upcoming talent at these festivals and Crobot was one of the first examples of that for me. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: SUICIDE SILENCE

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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 Suicide Silence.

On Friday, July 16th, deathcore legends Suicide Silence will be taking the stage at Chicago Open Air for their third Danny Wimmer Presents festival. They previously played Aftershock last October along with several other acts that day like Korn, Puscifer, Whitechapel, and more. They also just recently played Rock on the Range with Metallica, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Amon Amarth. The band formed in 2002 in Riverside, California in 2002 and released their first full length album in 2007 titled ‘The Cleansing’. The record sold extremely well for a debut and showed that the band would be very successful in the future. “Unanswered” and “No Pity For A Coward” grew to be fan favorites. ‘No Time To Bleed’ followed this record in 2009. Songs like “Wake Up” and “Disengage” have become staples in Suicide Silence‘s live sets. In 2011, the band released their final record, ‘The Black Crown’, on Century Media and also their final record with frontman Mitch Lucker. Lucker passed away in 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident. It was announced a year later that the band would continue with a new vocalist. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: VIMIC

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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 Vimic.

On Friday, July 14th, alternative metal band Vimic will be bringing their heavy sound at Chicago Open Air. This will be the band’s first time playing a Danny Wimmer Presents event and it is one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend. Vimic formed just last year when Joey Jordison replaced Scar the Martyr lead singer Henry Derek (Act of Defiance, Thrown Into Exile) with Kalen Chase. Kalen Chase has actually toured with Korn (also on COA) in the past as a backup vocalist. The rest of the lineup remained the same as Scar The Martyr until guitarist Kris Norris left the band. He was then replaced by Steve Marshall. They’ve only released three songs thus far, but each song continues to show more and more potential for how great the debut record will be. Check out all three songs below. Continue reading →

Review: MUTOID MAN – ‘War Moans’ [Album Stream]

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Artwork by Santos Illustration

Just this past Friday, the New York trio of Mutoid Man released their second full length record ‘War Moans’ to shred the faces off of the public. The record was released via Sargent House. It was mixed by Kurt Ballou of Converge and mastered by Brad Boatright. This band has been on my radar since releasing their masterful debut EP in 2013 titled ‘Helium Head’. The technicality, tenaciousness, and epic riffage of Mutoid Man immediately caught my attention. The constant onslaught of mind-boggling song compositions still stand out as much as the first time I heard them. The band continued to grow to be one of my favorite rock bands with their follow up (also their first full length record), ‘Bleeder’. Stephen Brodsky (Cave In) and Ben Koller (Converge) manage to combine their other band’s sounds along with Nick Cageao’s killer bass tone to create something unlike anything else you will here anywhere else. If you haven’t heard about this band, you will soon. You can stream the album below and then buy it here after having your face melted off. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: KYNG

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Photo by @melhummel

*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 Kyng.

On Sunday, July 16th, three-piece rock band Kyng will be bringing their heavy sound to the masses all the way from California when they take the stage at Chicago Open Air at Toyota Park. The band formed in 2008 and released their first full length record in 2011 titled ‘Trampling Sun’. Following that record, the band was signed to Razor & Tie and has since dropped two albums on the label. ‘Burn the Serum’ was released in 2014 and put the band on the map thanks to some airplay of hits like “Burn the Serum” and “Electric Halo” on Sirius XM Octane and Liquid Metal. Judging by their sound, Kyng is largely influenced by the old school heavy metal and rock bands and will carry the torch of metal for years to come. Continue reading →

Review: JIBE – ‘Epic Tales of Human Nature’ [Song Stream]

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After about 14 years, JIBE has finally returned to the scene to release their fourth full length record, ‘Epic Tales of Human Nature’. The band originally formed in the mid 90s and became legendary in the music scene of Dallas, Texas. Their unique alternative rock sound came from influences such as U2, Pearl Jam, and Jane’s Addiction. They had success on the radio in the southern US with hits like “I’ll Meet You Halfway” and “Yesterday’s Gone”. The band toured nearly nonstop throughout their career, hitting the road with artists like Kings of Leon, Marilyn Manson, and Jerry Cantrell. JIBE broke up in 2004 shortly after their third record ‘Uprising’ (2003). The band reunited for their first show back in September 2015 and began work on this new record the following year. ‘Epic Tales of Human Nature’ was recorded at Orb Studios in Austin, Texas and produced by Matt Noveskey. The album drops in two weeks on June 9th. Pre-order the record here. Continue reading →