Tour Review: Bound By The Road Tour With DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds Of Plague & The Agonist

The Bound by the Road Tour 2017 is a 5 band affair featuring DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds of Plague, The Agonist and Azreal. It had plenty of stops in the USA and had 2 stops in Canada which I was lucky enough to attend the one in Toronto Ontario at The Phoenix Concert Theater (formerly known as The Diamond) and it holds up to 1,350 people.  Continue reading

Live Review: CROWBAR, GOATWHORE & LILLAKE In Johnson City, Tennessee!

Sammy Duet (Goatwhore) and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar)

It’s not often that you get to see two iconic New Orleans bands together in a small intimate venue. This night had several extraordinary factors. The co-headliners were none other than the all mighty Crowbar and the ferociously aggressive Goatwhore. The two bands have not only similarities in geography but have also had intermingling members in the bands or side projects. Goatwhore guitarist Sammy Duet was a member of Crowbar from 1998–2002, and was an integral part of Crowbar’s iconic album ‘Odd Fellows Rest’. Crowbar drummer Tommy Buckley and Goatwhore vocalist Ben Falgoust are also members of the band Soilent Green together. So of course the bands have a great camaraderie. Of course these weren’t the only bands that would grace the stage on this heavy metal showcase. The opening band Lillake formed in 2015, so they are just beginning their musical journey. However, the members of this band are by no means new to the metal world. Drummer Eric Moore is one of the most revered drummers around. Both Eric Moore and Lillake vocalist/guitarist Nico Santora were members of Suicidal Tendencies. Eric Moore was in the band from 2008 – 2015, and Santora was in the band from 2012 – 2016 and left the band to focus his time on Lillake. Continue reading

Show Review of Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” Tour

TransSiberian Orchestra 2016:

Al Pitrelli – Guitar

Andrew Ross – Vocals

Angus Clark – Guitar

April Berry – Guitar

Asha Mevlana – Strings

Autumn Guzzardi – Vocals

Ava Davis – Vocals

Bart Satto – Vocals

Bryan Hicks – Storyteller

Chloe Lowery – Vocals

Chris Caffery – Guitar

Dave Z – Bass

Derek Wieland – Keyboards

Dustin Brayley – Vocals

Babriela Guncikova – Vocals

Georgia Napolitano – Vocals

Jane Nangini – Keyboards

Jeff Plate – Drums

Jeff Scott Soto – Vocals

Jodi Katz – Vocals

John Brink – Vocals

John Lee Middleton – Bass

John O. Reilly – Drums

Kayla Reeves – Vocals

Lisa Lavie – Vocals

Mee Eun Kim – Keyboards

Natalya Rose Piette – Vocals

Paul O’Neill – founder/guitar

Philip Brandon – Storyteller

Rob Evan – Vocals

Robin Borneman – Vocals

Roddy Chong – Strings

Russell Allen – Vocals

Vitalij Kuprij – Keyboards

Tran-Siberian Orchestra is the brainchild brought to fruition by the genius of writer/guitarist/producer/etc. extraordinaire Paul O’Neill. Growing up in New York City, O’Neill was exposed to everything ranging from Broadway musicals, to Motown to singer-songwriter greats like Jim Croce and Harry Chapin. As he got older, Paul began playing guitar in the touring band for Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair before being brought on with the management company, LeberKrebs in the later portion of the 1970’s. With clients such as Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, AC/CD, Def Leppard, The Scorpians, The New York Dolls and a plethora of other A-List bands, O’Neill’s influences and influence gained a huge market share, putting him at the top of the promotional game. After a stint as a major concert promoter in Japan during the 1980’s, he returned to the States to write and produce full-time.

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Review Of The “Winter Warriors Tour” With Battlecross, Allegaeon And Necromancing the Stone

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Sunday, December 4th, 2016. Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville, FL. Metal Blade Records’ artists Necromancing the Stone, Allegaeon and Battlecross take the stage for an evening hammering down some of the most engaging and hard hitting Metal around. This is the third such outing for headlining act, Battlecross, on their annual Winter Warriors Tour where veterans are allowed free admission to the shows and a portion of all proceeds land in the coffers of local veteran charities. The Metal community has no heart and is just a bunch of Satan loving hooligans wearing black t-shirts and leather jackets. Psh! No matter where I go, you people are the biggest hearted group, supporting our military vets, children charities and each other at every opportunity. Hell, there was a Metal show down the street from Jack Rabbits set up by local promoters and bands in support of a wonderful family that recently lost a child. I am truly honored to call each one of you brothers and sisters, even if we have never met! Thank you! In addition to the music, when it comes down to brass tacks, our solidarity is what grows the genre.

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Review Of Flotsam And Jetsam, Helstar, And Hatchet Show At Jack Rabbits In Jacksonville, FL

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Man! When we first got wind that Flotsam and Jetsam, Helstar and Hatchet were hitting the road together, all of us here at MN (particularly Dragon and me) were praying this would stop somewhere within striking distance. Not just to see this collection of top shelf bands but also to get this match made in heaven available to our loyal readers. Who wouldn’t want to see this? Love Hatchet. Been listening to them for since around 2013 when Dawn of Evil hit. Helstar. Hell, I have listened to them on and off for the better part of thirty years. Don’t even get me started on Flotsam and Jetsam. They have ranked among my favorite bands consistently since Doomsday for the Deceiver way back in 1986. Saw them on their tours supporting No Place for Disgrace and Cuatro at Bogarts in Cincinnnati and one other time in Indianapolis in the late nineties. I have relentlessly listened to them even with my long hiatus seeing them live. While I like some of their releases better than others, Flotz is one of those bands that apparently cannot put out a bad album. I can only think of a couple of other bands that I hold in equal regards. To say the least, this was a dream show for me and was elated to find that it was coming to Jack Rabbits in Jacksonville, FL; just minutes from my house! So, you ask: “How was the show?”…

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Evanescence And Sick Puppies Roll Over The St. Augustine Amphitheater

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November 10, 2016. Get off work late. Quickly change clothes. Try to get off at your exit and no one will let you over and get bypassed onto a side street. Get stuck in construction traffic on the way back to the freeway because the city just has to have every road project going on at the same time. Get back on the highway for what should be a 45 minute drive. Traffic stops for five miles just outside of town for no apparent reason. Finally clear the mess and speed towards St. Augustine to find traffic again stopped all the way through town after taking “the short cut”. Get parked and head into the venue just as the first band starts some two hours after leaving work. Frustrating, but such is life in metropolitan areas everywhere; especially when one is in a hurry.

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Live Review: Anagnorisis And Cryptic Hymn

20161103_205511Who doesn’t love going to a metal show? The sweat, the hair, the ringing ears. Every time I get to go and see great artists ply their craft on the stage, I always consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be a part of such an experience. It’s an even bigger thrill when the artists that I get to scream my lungs out for are from my home state of Kentucky. Continue reading

A Celebration of Central Florida Metal With Seven Kingdoms, Martyrs Asylum, Kill The Sound, Arakara, Armor of God and Ornimental

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What happened to the Metal scene here?” “Man, this sucks! I gotta drive to <pick a town> to see any good shows anymore.” “Nobody is playing around here this weekend.” “There are only a couple of good bands here and I have seen them a million times. Uhhhghh!” “We never get any good shows here anymore.” These are all statements that I constantly see, hear and read just about every day, from folks all over the world. Thankfully, these sentiments do not apply to my home state of Florida. No matter where you live here, there are almost too many shows to choose from on any given evening, especially on the weekends. The more difficult decision usually becomes “Do I go to see ‘X’ or do I see ‘Y’ or drive a little further to see ‘Z’?” We have also seen the rise of legendary bands like Death, Deicide, Obituary, Nonpoint, Trivium, Shinedown, Savatage, Cynic, Iced Earth, Kamelot, Six Feet Under, Molly Hatchet, Alter Bridge, Limp Bizkit, A Day to Remember, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Tide, Creed and many, many others over the years. The pool of talent seems to be bottomless here. All of these bands had to start somewhere and the next generation of bands continue to emerge in Florida at an exponential rate. Such was the case with the Halloween show at The Haven in Winter Park, FL, Saturday, October 29th, 2016 which highlighted some of the premiere Metal acts available from Central and South Florida. Although it is exhilarating to see national and international acts in a large venue, local bands have the fire and talent at a comparable or higher levels in our own back yards.

As a special treat, all pictures are credited to my guest photographer Matthew Degele!

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Louder Than Life: Saturday Review [Photo Gallery]

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Louder Than Life came back this year with such an amazing lineup. Last year had more of a southern rock feel and this year was so much heavier. Ranging from some older classic bands to some of music’s fastest up and comers the lineup was filled full talented bands of varying genres. Unfortunately, we can’t see every band, so if we didn’t mention someone here it’s simply that we had a conflicting schedule with their set. If only we could see every band it would be a perfect day. Continue reading

Review Of The Historic Max And Iggor Cavalera: Return To Roots In St. Petersburg, FL

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State Theater in St. Petersburg, FL; Saturday, October 1st, 2016. This was the place to be for what is sure to become one of the biggest and memorable historic events for all the Metal fans fortunate to be present. Max and Iggor Cavalera Return to Roots Tour stormed this gulf city with more force than any damned hurricane and left more crushed skulls in its wake than the largest of epic World War II tank battles. Heavy, harsh and rowdy were the rules of the night as these two Metal Masters welcomed three local acts and four national touring acts to grease the skids for their dominant return to what now is considered a classic: “Roots”. Another long show that was well worth my four plus hour drive and eight hour Metal ride of shows. Wouldn’t have missed this event for all the tea in China!

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