The Trinity Of Terror Tour Bludgeons Minnesota [Review & Photo Gallery]

When it comes to horror movies, every great movie and villain never seems to die. They raise up from the dead and create a brand-new nightmare for fans. One of the great tour packages of the past year keeps coming back and it seems to be bigger with every run of dates. The ‘Trinity of Terror Tour’ has reached trilogy status with the third string of dates ripping through North America. The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota would host the sold-out tri-headline tour that featured Ice Nine KillsMotionless In White and the Black Veil Brides. Added to the bill to open the show were metalcore veterans Atreyu.

Atreyu hit the stage with the song “Baptize.” This was my first time seeing the band with Brandon Saller handling lead vocals but he quickly made his presence known with his personality and energy. He sounded great vocally and the songs came across great. A couple of my personal favorites came next with “Becoming The Bull” and “Right Side of the Bed.” Saller also made his way to the bar for a quick drink during the set and found out, as anyone who has been to the Armory, it’s a little trickly to maneuver yourself to the bar and then back to the stage. The line-up also consisted up guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Marc “Porter” McKnight and drummer Kyle Rosa. Throughout the night it was very clear Ateryu was the perfect fit for the tour and I realized just how much their songs have stood the test of time.  The entire band came across like there was no other place they would rather be and looked to be having so much fun that it became infectious to the packed venue. The fan reaction was really fantastic and they really ignited the crowd and that energy would hold up throughout the night. 

The three bands have been alternating slots and in Minneapolis the Black Veil Brides  took the stage next. Led by vocalist Andy Biersack they struck with the song “Crimson Skies” from 2021’s ‘The Phantom Tomorrow.’ They were certainly the most straight forward band of the night and hit with constant riffs from the two guitarist Jinxx and Jake Pitts. Holding down the rhythm section was drummer Christian “C.C.” Coma and bassist Lonny Eagleton. Although they were still supporting the latest album, the set was fun because it touched on all the records and really showcased the bands entire timeline. I really enjoyed “Fallen Angels,” “Faithless,” “Knives and Pens” and new cuts like “Scarlet Cross” and “Shadows Rise.” You could certainly feel the presence of the Black Veil Brides Army as the band made its way through the set. I thought they sounded in great form and delivered a great show.  

Motionless In White was a completely different monster from the previous bands that had previously taken the stage.  The intensity ratcheted up as soon as vocalist Chris “Motionless” Cerulli positioned himself at center stage. They kicked into “Disguise” and the chaos was in full swing. The line-up featured guitarists Ryan Stikowski and Ricky “Horror” Olson with Vinny Mauro on drums and bassist Justin Morrow. The band was supporting 2022’s release ‘Scoring the End of the World’ and played five cuts from that record like “Werewolf” and “Cyberhex.” The crowd surfing was non-stop and it did cause Cerulli to ask fans to take a little break from it to give the people up and front and the staff of the venue to catch their breath. Fan favorite “Voices” blew the roof off as did The Killers cover of “Somebody Told Me.” The entire performance was a high-octane outpouring that the crowed ate up. They even had some extra help as two people came out to provide a little extra visual experience as they threw candy into the crowd, generated sparks that shot off their body, and after the closing song “Eternally Yours” threw roses into the crowd. I’ve never seen a bad Motionless In Whiteshow and was again impressed with what they pulled off. 

The one band I had yet to see would close the night and I was anticipating great things. Ice Nine Kills is a band that I had casually listened to but the last two albums, ‘The Silver Scream’ and ‘Welcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2” really hooked me into the band. The set ripped into “Funeral Derangements” and the onslaught was on. Vocalist Spencer Charnas, with shovel in hand, got people moving and the fans in the crowd didn’t let up. Each track on those albums is a tribute to some of the most iconic horror movies or franchises. Bringing those nightmares to the stage, along with Charnas, was bassist Joe Occhiuti, drummer Patrick Galante and guitarist Ricky Armellino and Dan Sugarman. They kicked into “Wurst Vacation” which takes us into the Hostel movies and I quickly realized that this show was as much theater as it was a concert. It was a carefully calculated set that had actors and props that brought the horror movies to life. “Hip To Be Scared” was a homage to American Psycho with Charnas crushing his victim with an axe. So many highlights in the set but “The Shower Scene” which pulls from the classic Psycho movie was executed perfectly with a shower curtain pulled onto the stage with a victim standing behind it just waiting to meet her demise. With so much going on the stage, it wasn’t lost on me how good the music sounded. The songs came off so crisp and tight and when you add that sonic assault with all the different stuff they did a stage, it made for one of the most enjoyable sets I’ve seen in a while. The set ended with bringing Freddy Krueger out of your nightmares and onto the stage with the ode to The Nightmare on Elm Street movies with “The American Nightmare” and that concluded a fantastic night. 

This was a very unique bill with four bands that seem to have equal footing among the crowd. There  wasn’t any indication that one band was bigger than another and as you walked the venue the merch people were wearing seemed pretty equal.  I didn’t see anybody heading for the doors after any particular set as the venue stayed packed until the last band finished. The ‘Trinity of Terror Tour’ lived up to the hype as every band on the bill impressed me and the five hours I was at the venue flew by. 

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, SKOLD, DEFYING DECAY Ignite In Bristol, UK. [Review & Photos]

Motionless In White

So I arrived at the Bristol o2 Academy to one of the biggest queues I have seen. The line went on and on for what seemed like forever. This was the last night of the UK run of dates for Motionless In Whites Disguise Tour. After the release of their latest album ‘Disguise’ released on 7th June 2019 through Roadrunner Records, it’s their second release on a major label since their departure from Fearless Records. Continue reading

LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019: Friday [Review & Photo Gallery]

After being forced into a flood-induced sabbatical last year, LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019 roared back to life the last weekend of September. Over 50 artists and nearly 130,000 fans descended on Louisville, Kentucky’s Fair and Exposition Center, making Derby City the undisputed capital of the hard rock world (for at least a couple days). Your intrepid METAL NEXUS away team braved the teeming throngs and the suffocatingly oppressive heat, chasing slivers of shade while soaking in the sights and sounds in order to bring you these dispatches from the front lines of the biggest rock festival in America. Continue reading

AFTERSHOCK: Friday [Review & Photo Gallery]

Following a sold-out crowd of 60,000 last year, the Aftershock Festival expanded to three full days for 2019 with attendance reaching an unheard of 97,500 this year. The eighth annual edition of the Northern California rock festival, produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, took place on Friday October 11th, Saturday, October 12th, and Sunday, October 13th at Sacramento’s Discovery Park. The massive lineup of over 50 bands was headlined by Tool, who debuted music from their chart-topping new album ‘Fear Inoculum.’ blink-182, who headlined the second night, made their Danny Wimmer Presents debut in support of their new album ‘Nine.’ Slipknot, whose new release ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ has been burning up the Billboard 200 album chart, headlined day one. Continue reading

Review: MOTIONLESS IN WHITE – ‘Disguise’ [Full Album Stream]

Motionless In White has always been one of the most populair bands in their genre, from their shock value to the intense and creepy writing to their heavy breakdowns that will make you stop breathing they have never once stopped being a force not to be reckoned with and that definitely includes ‘Disguise’!

Continue reading

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE Releases Brand New Track ”Undead Ahead 2: The Tale Of The Midnight Ride”!

After releasing 2 bangers of songs Motionless In White is back and as great as ever. With title track ”Disguise” showing us they still hold onto their heavy roots and ”Brand New Numb” making us realise that Motionless In White is still capable of changing their sound while maintaining that classic Motionless touch. They are truly a band that never fails to deliver!

Continue reading

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, ATREYU & WILSON Bring Spring Invasion Tour To Minneapolis [Review & Photo Gallery]

The Spring Invasion Tour, featuring Motionless In White, Atreyu, and Wilson has been has been rolling through North American and made a stop at the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This tour promised to be high on energy and heavy in the tunes and a packed house experienced a great night of music. Continue reading

Sonic Temple Spotlight: WAGE WAR

If you think that you’ve already heard it all when it comes to heavy music, you just haven’t heard Wage War.  The group — which is composed of vocalist Briton Bond, guitarist/vocalist Cody Quistad, guitarist Seth Blake, bassist Chris Gaylord and drummer Stephen Kluesener — formed in Ocala, Florida in 2013.  After playing shows around the area and picking up steam, they were quickly signed to Fearless Records, and did it the old-fashioned way: By sending a song to the label.  From there, the group linked up with the production team of Andrew Wade (Neck Deep, Motionless In White) and A Day To Remember vocalist Jeremy McKinnon who produced their 2015 debut ‘Blueprints’ together and returned to produce the sophomore full-length ‘Deadweight’, and most recently, “Low”, the band’s newest single released earlier this year – check it out!
Continue reading

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, EVERY TIME I DIE, Dominate Sold Out Show In Lexington [Review & Photo Gallery]

Motionless In White

 

It’s March in the Bluegrass which means everyone in the region has basketball on their minds. Although the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team is playing (which I listened to on the 2 hour drive north to Lexington) this day was about music. Not just any kind of music – Metal! Not just any normal volume – Very Loud! Continue reading

Wessel’s Top Ten Albums Of 2017!

2017 has been a crazy year for me personally but there were always 10 records that kept me going and those are the 9 above excluding ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’ by death metal machine Dying Fetus. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

Continue reading