The 3rd annual Louder Than Life festival will take place again soon in Louisville, Kentucky. Loudmouths from all over the country will make their trek to the Bluegrass state for a weekend filled with music, gourmet man food, craft beer and the best bourbon in the country. The festival promoters DWP has amassed a great lineup this year of great headlining acts and some of the best up and coming acts in music. There are also a couple groups on the lineup that you won’t get a chance to see live that often. Headliners Avenged Sevenfold, Slayer and The Cult will close out Saturday night while Slipknot, Disturbed and Korn have been tasked with putting the final touches on the final night of the festival on Sunday.
While a lot of people may be excited about the headlining acts, it’s the non-headliners that appeal to me most. One of the most anticipated acts of the event is Zakk Sabbath, think about the name for a minute and it’s exactly what you would expect it to be. The group is Zakk Wylde playing Black Sabbath covers. While we love Tony Iommi on guitar more than the next guy, seeing Zakk slay on some Sabbath songs just gets my blood pumping. Another act that you may be familiar with members but not the actual band is Chevy Metal which features Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters. The band plays cover songs and Dave Grohl has been known to step in and play a set with them here and there. Another band that you should know but that needs to be on your must see list is Anthrax. They are of course thrash legends and members of The Big Four, but recently Charlie Benante has announced that the most recent Anthrax album “For All Kings” could be their last release. While he didn’t mention details about the band ending or members leaving he did hint around to that. The album has been Anthrax’s biggest hit since the early 90’s, so going out on a high note is always great. See them while you can because who knows what could happen, it may be your last chance.
Some acts are very well known for their theatrics like Swedish occult rockers Ghost who always not only sound good but have a hauntingly good stage show. They may even have some new material from their upcoming covers album to play live. Papa Emeritus has a way of energizing a congregation of metal heads like no other front man in today’s music.
There are some amazingly talented veteran acts on this years lineup as well. Bands like Clutch never put on a bad show. Their musicianship is unparalleled to most bands as each member of the band is a master at his instrument. Lead singer Neil Fallon has a voice that appeals to any listener. The bands in your face rock style makes them a must see. Another veteran band that you should never miss anytime they are on a lineup is Sevendust. They are one of the most respected bands by fellow musicians, not to mention they were a recent Grammy Nominee for their song “Thank You”. The sides of the stage while they are playing is usually lined with other band members clamoring to watch the veterans dominate a crowd.
There have been a couple of these bands over the years that I hadn’t really gave a chance and then once I seen them live I instantly became a fan. One of those bands was Motionless In White. Although people were really getting into their music and I wasn’t really eager to listen to them. The inaugural year of Louder Than Life I saw them and they really showed me their true passion for music and I think every set of eyes on them that day became a fan for life. I’m highly anticipating seeing them again in the same place where they played such a magical set. Avatar is another band I hadn’t really gave the time of day. They include some theatrics on stage that get the crowd motivated. When they played “Hail The Apocalypse” live the crowd went all to hell. Not a single person was standing still and it’s a moment no concert goer will forget if they was there to experience it.
We can’t forget some of the best up and coming bands are also taking part in Louder Than Life. Sometimes people don’t pay much attention to the bands at the bottom of these lineups, but they often put on a much better show than the headliners. I mus confess that Dinosaur Pile Up is my must see band for the entire festival. The band has a unique blend of sounds that is new and fresh to the music scene. If you haven’t heard them yet, do so now (go on do it) and you will be eagerly awaiting them to take the stage as well. Bands like Smashing Satellites, Kyng and Crobot are household names to me, but if you haven’t heard of them you need to. Crobot has a throwback style sound that any classic rock fan would love and seeing their bassist Jake Figueroa play live is something you won’t forget anytime soon. While you have these up and comers you also have some legendary bands taking the stage as well like Cheap Trick and Sabaton. Those bands are also not comparable in any way other than the fact that they have both been well respected bands for a decade or more. Sabaton was formed in 1999 in Sweden and has been pumping out hard hitting power metal since then. They just released their 8th studio album ‘The Last Stand’ this year. My only hope is that they bring their normal elaborate stage set up, don’t miss it. When we start talking about the formation of Cheap Trick we have to go back a few more decades, all the way to 1973. Cheap Trick just released their first album in 7 years. Just being able to hear new music from them is a treat in itself, but you also getting to see one of the longest running original bands in today’s music. All the members are members of the original band except drummer Daxx Nielsen.
Rumors are still circulating that more bands may be added. Ticketmaster is showing Deftones and Chevelle as part of LTL, so they could be added or it could just be a mistake. Other outlets like WolverineKills is also reporting that the Louder Than Life Facebook page mentioned there will be more bands added. The lineup could get much better before October rolls around.
The most important thing to know about Louder Than Life is where to buy tickets. The lineup from start to finish is strong. It’s the perfect time of year if you want to camp. October 1st and 2nd won’t be too hot or too cold. If it’s warm you can enjoy a nice cold craft beer and if it’s a little cool out you can enjoy some of Kentucky’s finest bourbon to warm you up. It doesn’t end there of course, the festival has various gourmet food vendors serving up some mouth watering goodness. Food and drink isn’t the only thing you will consume either, your ears will consume hours and hours of today’s best hard rock and metal. Don’t miss your opportunity to join all the other Loudmouths at the 3rd annual Louder Than Life.
Pick up your tickets here: http://louderthanlifefestival.com/
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