SLAYER’s Final World Tour Leaves Ashes In Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

Slayer

 

Slayer is one of the bands that defines metal, their fan base are full of die hard fanatics. It’s not often you get the chance to go to a show and know it will be the last time you will see the band perform. Sure, other bands have had farewell tours but more often than not bands break up or fade away and you don’t have that opportunity to say goodbye in a live setting. Slayer gave that to me and over 8 thousand other fans on a Sunday night in Nashville, Tennessee. As we rolled up to the venue there was already protesters lurking about warning us of our sins and our eternal damnation for attending such an event. I hate to tell them but with all the flames and fire Slayer had on stage it was probably hotter than hell, and we’d go to straight to Lucifer lair if it meant we got to hear “Disciple” one more time. For this leg of the tour Slayer brought an amazing cast of characters with them. The lineup included 3 of the Big Four of Thrash; Slayer, Testament, and Anthrax. In addition to those veteran acts we also were “blessed” with Lamb Of God, and Napalm Death opening the show while the sun was still high in the sky.  Continue reading

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY & C.O.C. Shred In Knoxville, Tennessee [Review & Gallery]

Black Label Society

What to do on a rainy first day of August? You point your truck south and head to The Mill & Mine in Knoxville, TN. Why, you ask? Because someone told me that Black Label Society, Corrosion of Conformity and EYEHATEGOD were going to melt the roof of the building! So I needed to go see for myself! Continue reading

LIGHT THE TORCH Fires Up Headlining Tour In Louisville [Review & Photo Gallery]

Light The Torch

Guess who’s back, back again.  Howard’s back, tell a friend!  Fresh off a handful of dates opening for the almighty GWAR, lead singer Howard Jones, guitarist Francesco Artusato, bassist Ryan Wombacher, and drummer Mike “Scuzz” Sciulara, collectively now known as Light the Torch, headed out on a headlining run to finish out July in support of their latest release, Revival. Continue reading

Beasto Blanco, The Buddz, American Dropouts Slay In Tennessee! [Review & Photo Gallery]

 

Beasto Blanco

I find myself back in Johnson City for what promises to be a great night of Rock N Roll! It’s a short 2.5 hour drive to The Hideaway which is next door to Capone’s were I was photographing two nights before. The Hideaway is a 150 person, standing room only venue, a very intimate setting to see a band like Beasto Blanco! I’d venture a guess and say this is probably the smallest venue they are playing on this tour. Continue reading

TRIVIUM, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, BAD OMENS In Johnson City, TN [Review & Photo Gallery]

 

Trivium

Released on October 20th of 2017, “The Sin And The Sentence released by Florida’s Trivium has made waves across the Metal community from night one I’d release up until now and foreseeable beyond as they have embarked on a massive world tour for their 8th studio release and surely their best one yet. TSATS world tour made a stop in Johnson City, Tennessee at Capone’s to wreak havoc on the sold out, rowdy East Tennessee crowd, and we’ve got everything you need to know about this fun little packed out sow. This leg of the tour involves opening performances from Bad Omens and Fit For An Autopsy that got fans moving and ready for Trivium’s loaded setlist. Continue reading

Carolina Rebellion: Sunday [Review & Photo Gallery]

Queens Of The Stone Age

 

It seems like the weekend had flown by when my alarm went off Sunday morning. With the majority of the festival weekend behind us it was kind of sad knowing this would be the last day of Rebellion until 2019, because you know at this point we have to go regardless of the lineup, it’s just great being surrounded by like minded metal heads. We all have our favorite days of the festival based on the lineup for the day. Sunday just happened to be the day I was most excited about. Personally for me I was stoked to see Mutoid Man, Greta Van Fleet, Baroness, The Fever 333, Queens Of The Stone Age, Billy Idol, and Thrice. There is a little bit of everything in Sunday’s lineup. You have nostalgic acts from totally different generations. Like Billy Idol who started his career in the mid to late 70’s, then you have Incubus who was legends in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Then you have Greta Van Fleet who are playing music that sounds like it’s straight from the 70’s but the majority of the members of the band aren’t even drinking age yet. The Fever 333 is also a new band who has been taking stages hostage and demanding attention. Baroness are a band that has flew under the radar for a lot of people but have been a keeping prog and sludge alive since their formation in 2003. Sunday was a day to show praise for all that is hard rock and heavy metal.

 

 

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MINISTRY Perform To Packed House At SWX In Bristol, UK [Review & Photo Gallery]

Ministry

Let’s just start by saying the doors were meant to open at 7:00 PM but that’s when Ministry‘s tour bus arrived. I witnessed the whole crew frantically getting all the gear into the venue in record time and emptying two trailers being towed by the tour bus in minutes. The doors officially opened at about 7:20 PM but fans were ushered upstairs to the other bar and smaller venue whilst Ministry set up and did sound checks. The late arrival was due to flight problems as far as I’m aware. Continue reading

SMASHING PUMPKINS Bring Perfection To Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

Smashing Pumpkins

For seven to eight months out of the year (depending on a playoff run), Bridgestone Arena and Nashville, TN are locally referred to as Smashville thanks to the success of a certain NHL hockey team known as the Nashville Predators.  But on the night of July 20, 2018 the name Smashville took on a new meaning as the Smashing Pumpkins brought their Shiny and Oh So Bright Tour to Nashville, the sixth stop on a massive US tour extending into September and heading to the UK and Italy in October. Continue reading

DOYLE & SULPHER Dominate At Amplified Fest (UK) [Review & Photo Gallery]

 

Doyle

Doyle and Sulpher were just two of the jaw dropping acts to perform at this years Amplified Open Air Festival which took place on July 6th-8th at Quarrydowns, Gloucestershire, U.K.. The festival also included acts like Jinjer, Soil, Psychostick, Dust Bolt, Witch Tripper and several other over the course of the weekend. Doyle and Sulpher are just two of the stand out performances that took place.  Continue reading

Gen-X Tour: Buckcherry, P.O.D., Lit, Alien Ant Farm In Corbin, KY [Review & Photo Gallery]

The rock and roll show that is the Gen-X summer tour made a stop off in Corbin, KY recently. Alien Ant Farm, Lit, P.O.D. and Buckcherry all are veteran bands that have been on the road a long time, so I knew the Corbin fans were in for some kickass music! That is exactly what these four bands brought! Continue reading