Category Archives: Artist Showcase

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 →

State Of The Art: FROM WRATH TO RUINS

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  *This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*

This month’s State is North Carolina!

Today we will be talking about the downtempo band From Wrath To Ruins. They have been around since the year 2014 and are situated in Greensboro, North Carolina. The band is already ruling their town Greensboro but soon they will rule all over the state including your neighbourhood so watch out! They have created 2 EP’s so far and 2 singles. Their first EP is called ‘The Execution Initiative’ which is self released on the 11th of September 2015. Their second EP ‘As Above, So Below’ got released this year on the 28th of May via their label Chugcore Promotions. {This album is linked at the end of this page} The album ‘The Execution Initiative’ you can find HERE on their Bandcamp. Besides these 2 brutal EP’s they have released the single ”Procreate” that got out about 1 month prior to the release of ‘The Execution Initiative’, click HERE to listen to that song and to also find out more about their roots. They have always self released their music via bandcamp besides the single ”Procreate” and the full album ‘As Above, So Below’. The song ”Procreate” got released on the youtube channel Pig Squeals And Breakdowns, the album ‘As Above, So Below’ with the single ”Masochist” got them signed to Chugcore Promotions which you can find both releases on.

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Into The Grave Spotlight: TEXTURES

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Textures is one of the bands that will be playing on Into The Grave this year on the second day, the 12th of August. On that day they will be playing alongside the kings of vikings Amon Amarth and bands like Arch Enemy, Overkill, Life Of Agony, Whitechapel, Sodom, Pro-Pain and metalcore act Ember Falls. As you can see it will be a busy day with a bunch of bands with completely different styles and vibes. Yet I think this day will the best of the 2. It will be the darker and more brutal day of the festival for sure! As I have mentioned before in my spotlight about my all time favorite powermetal band Powerwolf (which you can read HERE) the festival will be super diverse and full of bands with different backgrounds and music styles. Hopefully see you there!

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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 →

State of the Art: BEYOND THE FADE [Videos]

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*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*

                                                            This month’s State is North Carolina!

Beyond the Fade is a band from Charlotte, North Carolina. They formed in 2006 under founder, Brandon Strickland. Current members, (Neil Jackson – vocals, Jason Tedder – guitar, Brandon Strickland, guitar), have been rocking the area and touring the country ever since. Having a heavy touring schedule, the band has seen numerous lineup changes, but the most notable was the addition of Neil Jackson on guitar and vocals in 2012. Beyond the Fade had previously played alongside his former band, so they knew it would be a good fit. In 2014 it was mutually agreed upon that Jackson would put down the guitar to become front man for the band. They’re quoted as saying they felt it would give him a stronger connection with the audience. And, it seems that it has! They’ve played with numerous national acts, including North Carolina’s Soften the Glare – fronted by bassist Ryan Martinie, as well as Skillet, Godsmack, and Motley Crew.

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State Of The Art: KILLING THE CATALYST

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*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*

This month’s State is North Carolina!

Killing The Catalyst was formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in December of 2010. The members joined forces after their previous groups had disbanded. They moved forward to succeed, and their sound is a perfect example of their success. Their minds were set on making something different from the ordinary; something powerful, positive, and unique. The bands list some of their influences as August Burns Red, Lamb of God, Nothingface, and Mudvayne. You can certainly hear some of those influences in their music, but Killing The Catalyst has a unique sound that can’t really be compared to any other single band. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight : The Dillinger Escape Plan

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*Every 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.*

 This week’s artist is The Dillinger Escape Plan.

On July 14th, the guys in The Dillinger Escape Plan will take the stage in what could be the final time in the Chicago area. The energy and raw emotion displayed by all five men are something not to miss and seeing how this could be one of your few chances left, I highly suggest you do not pass up this set. The Dillinger Escape Plan are an American mathcore band from New Jersey. Formed in 1997 by  Ben Weinman (guitarist), Adam Doll (bass) , Dimitri Minakakis (vocalist), and Chris Pennie (drummer). Named after depression era bank robber John Dillinger, the band went on to release 6 studio albums and 1 EP with Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr.Bungle, TomaHawk, Dead Cross) on Vocals, developing an influential musical style characterized by chaotic sonic onslaughts, technical complexity, and eclectic experimentation. Known for their high energy and ,at times insane live shows, the guys have been a force in the mathcore scene for years. The band’s final line-up which consists of Ben Weinman (only original remaining member\guitar), Liam Wilson (bassist), Greg Puciato (vocalist), Billy Rymer (drummer) and  Kevin Antreassian (guitarist) are currently touring for the last time and will break up later in 2017. 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 →