Louder Than Life 2016 Preview!

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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. Continue reading →

State of the Art: RipFence

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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 Maine!

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Lewiston, Maine. North of Portland, South of Augusta and Bangor. It is the second largest city in Maine with a population just South of 40,000. Only about 92 square miles and sits squarely in the middle of Androscoggin County. A quaint, historic town founded in 1854. Sigh. That is until you start digging around. Back in the corner, where the dust and cobwebs reside (and what is that aweful smell?!?) and it is found that this town is not immune from a brutal form of Melodic Death Metal outfit called RipFence.

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State Of The Art: DEAD SEASON

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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 Maine!

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Formed in 2003 DEAD SEASON was Founded by brothers Matt and Ian Truman. Ian is the lead vocalist for the group while Matt plays guitar and does backing vocals. They were later joined by bassist Steven Church (2007) and drummer Dustin Fitzpatrick (2014). DEAD SEASON has sold over 25,000 cd’s, an amazing feat considering the band has done it all on their own w/out the help of a record label. The group hail from Paris, ME and have held their own with some of the biggest names in hard rock history. In their 13 year history they have managed to score gigs on the “ROCKSTAR MAYHEM FESTIVAL” and DISTURBED’S “MUSIC AS A WEAPON TOUR” to name only a few. They have also played gigs with and shared the bill with rock icons like SLIPKNOT, AVENEGED SEVENFOLD, GODSMACK, KORN, MEGADETH and MOTORHEAD. Trust me, that was the short list. These guys have played with everyone.

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3Eighty3: “Raw F*ckin’ Power”!

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Remember the Hard Rock and emerging Metal bands in the 70’s and early 80’s? Hard driving, guitar based Heavy Blues with straight attitude and catchy, clever lyrics. Dance, bang your head, fist in the air, good times, Rock n’ Roll. Did you start to loose interest when the glitz, glam and cheese took over? Did you get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when MTV told you that Guns N’ Roses and the up and coming Grunge bands were the future of Metal? Did you breathe a sigh of relief when Pantera dropped “Cowboys From Hell” and quickly dispelled all that nonsense? Yeah, me too. Funny thing is, that I still love the sound of the first wave of Hard Rock here and the British Invasion from overseas. Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, early Motley Crue, Cinderella and Triumph. Well, I recently discovered a band that has its roots deep in this era of our beloved music. If you have not heard of them, let me introduce you to Alvarado, Texas’ 3Eighty3. Continue reading →

Soften the Glare “The Funky Lady Tour” coming to a town (hopefully) near you!

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Have you heard of Soften the Glare? Sure you have, just maybe not in this particular form. Heard of Mudvayne? How about that bad-ass bass player and songwriter? What’s his name again? Oh yeah, right: Ryan Martinie. You game now? Alright then, add the mind-bending guitar talent of Bon Lozaga. That’s right, the one from Gong, Tiny Boxes and been featured with other notable guitar gods as Allan Holdsworth, Kai Eckhardt, David Torn, David Fiuczynski among many others. This match made in heaven is joined by the drumming skills of Mitch Hull who has played with Gongzilla, Staxx, Chameleon, War 4 Peace and shared the stage with Tiny Boxes and many other in the past. Well, now you know and you can see them on “The Funky Lady Tour” that kicks off tomorrow in Jacksonville, NC!

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CHICAGO OPEN AIR Brings Amazing Metal Lineup to Windy City!

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So I’ll admit that I was totally on board for Chicago Open Air when the only band they had announced was German power house Rammestein. But….. Once they revealed the rest of the lineup it sent chills down my spine. I think this is likely the heaviest festival that DWP has put on EVER. The rest of the bands added are over the top and make this inagural year for the festival one that you will not want to miss. It will be the go to event for metal heads that like their metal just a little on the heavy side. Overall, Chicago Open Air will feature performances by more than 40 bands, including Rammstein (did I mention it’s the group’s only 2016 U.S. performance and first Chicago show since 2012), Chicago’s own Disturbed (who recently returned from a 4-year hiatus with their #1 album Immortalized), global rock juggernauts Slipknot, Chevelle, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, Ministry, Breaking Benjamin, Marilyn Manson, Gojira, Meshuggah, COC, Carcass, Hatebreed, and many more. The festival will also include Gourmet Man Food featuring local and regional cuisine, a craft beer village highlighting top brews from the region, other entertainment and fan experiences, and will be hosted by the metal ambassador himself Jose Mangin from SiriusXM.

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Are you sitting down? Because things just got better! There is now an official pre-party for Chicago Open Air as well that includes more amazingly talented bands. The Chicago Open Air Pre-Party: The official Chicago Open Air Pre-Party presented by 95 WIIL Rock and 100.7 QRock will be held at Concord Music Hall on Thursday, July 14. Otep headlines the show with Shaman’s Harvest, Islander and Through Fire supporting. Chicago Open Air ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets in advance for $10. Regular tickets are $17. Go here for tickets. If you haven’t seen Islander they are one of the best up and coming live acts.

We wouldn’t miss this weekend of shows for anything. If we are still breathing we will be there, and if you call yourself a metal head you better be there too!

Website: www.ChicagoOpenAir.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chiopenair

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chiopenair

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiopenair

State of the Art: FIFTH FREEDOM

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Photo Credit: Sugar Skull Photography

Photo Credit: Sugar Skull Photography

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

This month’s State is Maine!

Great American rock bands have been on the decline in the music world for the past several years. Fifth Freedom have put the state of Maine on the map and brought some attention back to good old fashioned rock-n-roll. The band may call the great north home but their music has it’s roots in the south. The mixture of classic rock and southern rock is a great way to describe their sound. The band went on tour with Kentuckians Black Stone Cherry for two months, that tour put the spotlight on Fifth Freedom and brought some well deserved attention to the band. They have had various lineup changes through the bands existence but long time members Alan Jones (vocals/guitar) and Gary Marston (drums) have remained fully invested in the band. The group released their self titled debut in 2014 and it was an immediate success in the state of Maine.  It debuted at No.1 at Bull Moose music (a 12 location New England record store chain). Continue reading →

State of the Art: Destination: Void

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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 Maine!

Destination: Void is a Progressive Metal band that calls the Southern part of Maine home. They have been working really hard to make their way into becoming a big part of the local Metal Scene in Maine. The band originally formed in 2009. They have been preforming with their current line-up since 2013. Their current line-up includes 5 members: Ryan Cummings (Guitar), Caleb Ring (Guitar), Nick Crosen (Bass), Seth Perkins (Drums) and Luc Damen (Vocals). The band really has a sound that is purely their own. Their song titled “Hive Mother [annihilation] is available on Bandcamp for free download with the “Name you price” of zero dollars. This track is also a part of their Album entitled “TEMPVS FVGIT” that is set to release later this year. The band has a consistently heavy sound throughout this track. From listening to the band I have concluded that I can hear some Mastodon influence in their music. The melodic and harsh vocals give a great contrast to their sound. The overall sound has a smooth yet abrasive overtone. The band is definitely guitar driven, so if you are a guitar enthusiast your mouth will water over this band! We will soon be reviewing their upcoming album, so make sure to keep an eye out for it!

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Review: RED CLOUD – Ursa Minor [Album Stream]

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I’ve always said that the best music is sometimes harder to find. Well today i’ve been proven wrong. The best thing that can ever happen is when an amazing new band and album is essentially delivered directly to my front door. That’s what happened to me when singer/guitarist Aaron Williams sent me the new album ‘Ursa Minor’ by his band Red Cloud. The album was released independently by the band on May 24th, 2016. The band was formed in 2012 in Eugene, Oregon. This album is a follow up to 2013’s ‘The Cloud’s Sound EP’. Red Cloud just adds to the list of amazing bands that call the state of Oregon home. The band has this refreshing sound that gives them this overwhelming listen-ability. The straddle the fence when it comes to declaring them hard rock or metal. There are stoner rock and psychedelic elements in there but they have so much more to offer that you can’t really classify them with a few measly words. Continue reading →