Category Archives: Tour Reviews

COMBICHRIST, WEDNESDAY 13, NIGHT CLUB Dominate Pomona, CA [Review & Photo Gallery]

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Combichrist

On Friday night, May 18, 2018, Combichrist kicked off the start of the Everybody Still Hates You Tour at the Glass House in Pomona, CA. They did an exceptional job of picking their tour mates, as this time around, they are out on the road with Death Valley High, Prison, Night Club, and Wednesday 13. This star-studded show features something for everyone, from hard rock, to goth-rock, to industrial, and even industrial pop.

Night Club

Night Club is a band that has been making waves, and making a name for themselves. The duo, comprised of Mark Brooks and Emily Kavanaugh, have a poppy sound, with an industrial flair. Having toured with bands like Aesthetic Perfection, and recently opening two shows for A Perfect Circle, it is obvious why the band is in such high demand. They have such an intense energy on stage, and Emily made it a point to interact with fans, who were singing the lyrics with her on Friday night. Night Club played a couple of new songs, including “Candy Coated Suicide,” from their new, highly anticipated album, ‘Scary World’, now available for pre-order. The crowd loved the new material, and it’s safe to say the new album will be just as well-received!

Wednesday 13

Wednesday 13 is a man who knows how to put on a show! He and his band of ghouls entranced the Glass House with their own brand of mesmerizing gothic rock! Wednesday switched between a few costumes, including an Edward Mordrake-style mask, acting as his second demonic face. The costumes complimented their set perfectly, adding a unique, artistic (and some might even say creepy) element. Many Wednesday 13 fans were in attendance, dragging themselves up from their graves for a spook show of an evening. The band always puts on a fang-tastic show, and Friday night was no exception! The audience sang along to hits including, “Blood Sick,” “I Walked with a Zombie,” and crowd favorite, “I Like to Say F*ck.” They ended their set with a teaser of “Bad Things,” and left the audience blood-thirsty for more!

Combichrist hit the stage with an unrivaled energy, in a flurry of pulsing lights bright enough to blind person! It was recently revealed that this will be their last tour before they go into the studio to work on a new album. The mastermind behind the act is Andy DeLaPlegua, a man that most certainly does not know the meaning of the words “slow” or “calm” when it comes to performing. Joe Letz is a character all his own behind one set of drums, taking on the persona of Neutered Nancy for live shows. All members of the band performed wonderfully, despite some technical difficulties, which plagued all of the bands on the bill, as can be expected on the first stop of the tour. The Glass House got to her Combichrist favorites including “Exit Eternity,” “Get Your Body Beat,” and “F*ck that Sh*t.” Combichrist’s live show is something one needs to experience to truly appreciate!

Combichrist, Wednesday 13, Night Club, Prison, and Death Valley High just started the North American leg of the Everybody Still Hates You Tour! There is ample time to purchase tickets and witness this awesome lineup for yourself! The Glass House in Pomona, CA was host to the tremendous start to the tour, and those who were not in attendance missed out!

 

PRIMUS, MASTODON, ALL THEM WITCHES In Nashville, TN [Review & Photo Gallery]

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Primus

The city of Nashville, Tennessee has always been a household name for famous music cities around the globe; as a matter of fact it may just be the music CAPITOL of the world. Legendary venues such as the Grand Ole Opry have hosted some of the most famous names in music like Johnny Cash and Chet Atkins, but there’s no shortage of Metal in the country music capitol of the world. On May 15th, 2018, the Primus rolled into town on their summer tour with support from Mastodon and All Them Witches at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The tour started on May 6th in Denver, Colorado and ends on July 7th in Phoenix, Arizona.

All Them Witches

Getting the night started off the RIGHT way, All Them Witches didn’t hesitate to make their presence felt early. As an opening band, you don’t have a lot of room on stage to perform, but for these three gentlemen, space was not an issue. Sludgy, muddy guitar tones and thunderous drums roaring throughout the venue set the tone for the rest of what was an incredible bill to be a part of. Their set was incredibly well received for an opening band, and if you weren’t a fan going into the show, you definitely were when you left.

Mastodon

Rolling into the second performance, the mighty Mastodon showed Nashville why they are some of the masters of their craft. Intelligent songwriting, cut throat guitar and bass tones, and the bouncing vocals of all the members roar through the speakers and bring Nashville off their feet. Their set was diverse, containing songs from multiple records released through their storied career. From the ominous chimes on the intro of the opening song, “Sultan’s Curse,” to the heavy outro to the final song, “Steambreather,” both off their new record, ‘Emperor of Sand,’ Mastodon proved why hardships in their personal lives served as fuel for them to continue on to make music that pleases them and all their fans, and they proved it with a murky stage presence. Mastodon are veterans of the road and made sure Nashville left this concert with a new favorite artist.

Primus

The headliner of the evening, Primus, brought that of what you expect from a band of this stature. Opening their set with, “Too Many Puppies,” every voice in the auditorium was singing along with Les Claypool and moshing along to the complex rhythmic patterns of Primus’ music. At this point, it’s hard to not love this band, or at least heard of them. Technical difficulties on Ler’s end at one point couldn’t even stop them from performing. An impromptu bass solo from Claypool along with comedic stories kept Nashville enthused the entire night. The stage presence of Tim Alexander is astounding even behind his mountain of drums, along with in your face rhythms that are the core part of Primus’ music. All the fans were engaged throughout every song, and even at lower points of the evening, the cheery Nashville crowd were involved with every set, singing along, moshing and pushing, proving why their city is THE music capitol of the world even for this genre.

Live Review: DESERTFEST LONDON, UK 2018 – Day 1 [Photo Gallery]

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Zeke @ Koko. DesertFest London 2018

The UKs very own version of Roadburn took over London over the bank holiday weekend of 4th May – 6th May. The annual 3-day DesertFest London festival hosted over 70 bands including some of the biggest names in the stoner rock scene, at the most iconic venues in Londons Camden town – from the Roundhouse to Koko, The Underworld, The Black Heart and The Dev(onshire Arms). Camden was a hive for worshipers of the scene to congregate for the 7th edition of this fundamental tour, and with headliners that included Graveyard, Napalm Death, High On Fire, Hawkwind and Monster Magnet, this year has been it’s biggest and most diverse yet!

FRIDAY 4TH

Today saw the festival at it’s busiest for its opening day, with 26 artists across 5 stages, not to mention the thousands of tourists bustling about Camden town – famous for its vast array of boutique and quirky independent shops, amazing street food, and markets, weird and wonderful street performers and musicians, as well as being the absolute hot-spot for all kinds of sub-cultures to thrive. With the distinct smell of weed fresh in the air on a blisteringly hot day in the capital, I was ready for the beginning of what would be an epic weekend of (natural) highs from the outstanding line-up at DesertFest London 2018. (Full gallery follows article). Continue reading →

TRIVIUM & 68′ Display Flawless Performances In Lexington, KY [Review & Photo Gallery]

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Trivium

In Early May I got to catch my very first Trivium Concert at Manchester Music Hall in Lexington KY. If you aren’t familiar with Manchester Music Hall, first let me say that its one of, if not the best small concert venues in Central, Kentucky. Prior to this concert, I did a little research on the band. I had heard of the band over the years and had checked out the radio-friendly cuts but I had never really dug into any of the album tracks. One thing I love about listening to tracks off a bands albums 24 hrs before going to see the band really makes me appreciate the hard work, blood sweat, and tears musicians put into making an album. Most bands track songs just for studio cuts while others track just how they would be on stage as if they were performing the songs live. Being a musician myself I can certainly say that in my many years of stage experience less means more. The more backing tracks and other electronic gear you bring to a live show other than whats necessary raises the chances for more shit to go wrong. Continue reading →

RIVAL SONS Closes Out Back 2 Back Nights In Whitesburg, Kentucky [Review & Photo Gallery]

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Rival Sons

I’m back at the Appalshop Theater for day 2 of the two night stand, Rivals Sons, Welles and tonight’s special guest SIMO. If you missed last night’s show it was a truly special night! There were fans here from at least 17 different states; most of those folks have stayed the night around Whitesburg to be a part of this second show. Continue reading →

FOO FIGHTERS More Than Make Up For Lost Time In Lexington, KY 5/1/18

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It’s been a couple weeks since Foo Fighters rolled through (or should I say rolled OVER) Lexington, KY, and my ears are still ringing.  The city’s famed Rupp Arena hosted the eleven-time Grammy-winning legends earlier this month after their original stop in the Bluegrass state was canceled last October due to a family emergency which frontman, Dave Grohl addressed mid-set with “There’s only one thing I love more than Foo Fighters, and that’s my mama!  And when my mama gets sick, f*ck all you motherf*ckers!” causing the crowd to erupt in cheers.  For well over 3 hours, the band entranced a nearly sold-out crowd with a slew of everyone’s favorite Foo Fighters tunes, as well as new material from their latest release, ‘Concrete & Gold’.  To call this show “just another rock show” would be an incredibly understated observation.  For me, personally, this single night had more heart, emotion, energy, and fan-to-artist connection than most shows I’ve seen. Continue reading →

Shaman’s Harvest, From Ashes To New & Big Story In Johnson City, TN [Review & Photo Gallery]

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Shamans Harvest

A rainy evening in Johnson City, TN is as good of a day as any for a metal and rock filled day. Capone’s is the premiere music venue in the Tri-Cities and this is where massive amounts of headbanging was about to occur. The lineup for this dreary day would include Shaman’s Harvest, From Ashes To New, and Big Story which was a wide variety of genres and brought a mixture of fans together under one roof.  Continue reading →

Texas Hippie Coalition, Kobra And The Lotus & More Bring Metal To Johnson City. [Review & Gallery]

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The band of outlaws that is the Texas Hippie Coalition rolled into Johnson City, TN and The Hideaway with their friends Kobra and the Lotus, Brand of Julez, Granny 4 Barrel and Clockwork Asylum. The “Year Of The Bull tour” was about to be unleashed on Johnson City, TN. The intent was to tear apart The Hideaway and they came real close!!

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THUNDERSTRUCK: AMERICA’S AC/DC Thrills Fans In Lexington, Kentucky [Review & Photo Gallery]

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“We know we aren’t AC/DC, we do everything from Bon Scott to Brian Johnson and fuck Axl Rose!” says frontman Dave Moody for the AC/DC tribute band Thunderstruck: America’s AC/DC. Continue reading →

KAMELOT, DELAIN, BATTLE BEAST In Silver Spring, MD [Review & Photo Gallery]

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The North American Tour by American power metal band Kamelot came to the Washington DC/Baltimore area recently. This is a tour I really wanted to cover as I am a big symphonic metal fan, and I had not seen  opening act Delain as of yet. On top of that one of the supporting bands was Battle Beast, who I had covered last year when they were supporting Sabaton. The recent album released by Kamelot, ‘The Shadow Theory’, has been very well received by fans and critics alike. Check out our recent review of the album (read here). Let me dive in to the review now, you can check out the photographs at the bottom of the page.

Battle Beast was the first band of the night. If you recall, Battle Beast first captured worldwide attention as the winner of Wacken Metal Battle some years back. They have made big strides over the years since, with the last release ‘Bringer of Pain’ being quite a success. As soon as the lights went out, a drum solo by Pyry Vikki started then proceedings with the lead singer Noora Louhimo bursting in to “Straight to the Heart” followed by “Bringer of Pain”. The lack of a local opening act meant that Battle Beast had a relatively longer setlist including eight songs, and I am not complaining about it at all, bring on more Battle Beast! However, if I recall correctly it was the exact same set list they played last year, and in the same order as well. I would have really liked to see some changes. On the other hand, this was a superior performance compared to the last one, a clear sign of the progress the band has made. The band is a joy to photograph, their energy on stage is simply phenomenal. An energetic performance by Noora Louhimo, with powerful yet melodic vocals, was well backed by the other band members. A fantastic start to the night, and Battle Beast left the stage to a resounding applause from the crowd. We have heard that the band is working on the upcoming album which will be released next year. Well, we can’t wait for that!

Dutch symphonic metal band Delain delivered a set that lasted close to an hour. This would be my first time seeing Delain. The set started with a drum solo, and soon after Charlotte Wessels wasted no time in setting the mood with “Hands of Gold” and “Suckerpunch”. Meren Bechtold was amazing on the guitar. The crowd enthusiastically sang with Charlotte Wessels pretty much throughout the set, and her stage persona lends very well to the kind of music the band plays. Delain wrapped up their set “We Are The Others”, one of my favorite songs by the band. They are in the process of writing a new album, which will be released sometime next year. Charlotte Wessels mentioned that they have been trying to do a US tour every year for the last few years. We will be eagerly waiting for the album and the tour next year.

Kamelot took the stage after a half hour long break after Delain’s set. They started their performance with “Phantom Divine”, the opening track from ‘The Shadow Theory’. The lighting, stage setup and the music generated quite a mood enhancing environment, a stark contrast to that of Battle Beat and Delain. Tommy Karevik took command of the stage and belted out the lyrics amidst his energetic antics on stage. Thomas Youngblood initially stayed near the sides of the stage, letting the other band members take control of the stage. Once the set progressed, he took center stage and blasted out some riffs. Lauren Hart, the vocalist of the death metal band Once Human, provided vocal support with some amazing screams and growls. Kamelot closed their set with “Liar Liar”, possibly their most popular song. The crowd was a happy bunch. I highly recommend this show. The stark differences between the styles of music played by the bands, yet bonded by the melody in the music, lends very well to this show being a resounding success. I have always been a huge fan of tours with bands that herald distinct styles, and this was one of the prime examples of that. Tons of dates are still left, so check out when they are heading your way.