Tag Archives: Chicago Open Air

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 →

An Interview With Tony Castenada of KYNG! [Video]

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Southern California rock trio KYNG, have been taking over the airwaves at Sirius XM and on stages across the U.S.  The Los Angeles outfit may be a small trip but their sound is huge. Members Eddie Veliz [vocals/guitar], Pepe Clarke [drums], and Tony Castaneda [bass/backup vocals]. Put their talents together and create a sound that far surpasses any genre. in 2011, the group’s debut ‘Trampled Sun’ landed shining critical acclaim for its “California Heavy” sound merging the metallic meanderings of Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age with the timeless scope of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. They hit the road with everybody from The Sword and Clutch to Trivium and Megadeth—even being picked to play at Metallica’s first-ever Orion Music + More festival. The band wasted no time and immediately started working on their second full-length album and first for Razor & Tie, ‘Burn The Serum’, the trio harks back to the essence of heavy rock ‘n’ roll, forging thunderous percussion to lightning hot riffs driven by a divine vocal howl. At the same time, they keep their eyes wide open towards the future. The band then released their third studio album “Breathe In The Water”, on October 7 via Razor & Tie. Produced by Machine (Lamb Of God, Clutch), the disc was recorded at The Machine Shop Recording Studio in Austin, Texas and is the follow-up to 2014’s “Burn The Serum”. Kyng has been a large part of the festival circuit both last year and this year. They played the Louder Than Life festival in 2016, and this year thus far have played Carolina Rebellion as well as Rock On The Range. The trio paid homage to their fallen brother Chris Cornell by playing the Temple Of The Dog track “Hungerstrike”.  Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: CODE ORANGE

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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 Code Orange.

One of the heaviest upcoming bands in the genre is coming to destroy the Chicago Open Air stage on Friday, July 14th at Toyota Park. If you are a fan of heavy music, you have probably already taken note of this band by now. Code Orange from Pittsburgh, PA stormed onto the scene with an incredible hardcore release in 2014 titled ‘I Am King’. This record was brutal, passionate, dark, and made a statement that the band had arrived. As a younger metalhead, this was one of the first records I listened to that got me into the extreme side of hardcore and metal. To kick off this year, the band dropped their third LP titled ‘Forever’, which was also well received by the metal community (check out out review here.) Their live shows bring some of the most violent pits around in recent years. It will be interesting to see how they transit their performance over to the festival stage. The band has played a few other Danny Wimmer Presents festivals including Rock on the Range and Carolina Rebellion. Most of their tour dates below are supporting System of a Down in Europe, including many of the large festivals. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: NORMA JEAN

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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 Norma Jean.

On Sunday, July 16th, pioneer metalcore titans Norma Jean join a stacked lineup at Chicago Open Air at Toyota Park. Norma Jean is known for their melodic, heavy sound that is perfect for driving a crowd into a frenzy. The band formed all the way back in 1997 in Georgia and there are no original members left. Former vocalist Josh Scogin left the band in 2002 right after the first full length album ‘Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child’ featuring tracks like “Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste” and “Creating Something Out of Nothing, Only to Destroy It.” Scogin went on to form acts like The Chariot and ’68. Current vocalist Cory Brandan Putman joined in 2004 and has been in the band for the longest period. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: CANE HILL

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Photo by Porter McKnight

*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 Cane Hill.

On Saturday, July 15th, alternative metal band Cane Hill will be bringing their contagiously heavy sound to Chicago Open Air in Toyota Park. It all began back in New Orleans in 2011. Cane Hill’s name is actually taken from the name of a deserted mental asylum in the UK. The band really broke through from their very start with their refreshing take on a mix of nu metal and hardcore. Despite only having one album out, Cane Hill has already showed a tremendous amount of diversity in their sound. They cover all aspects of the two genres being very reminiscent of acts like Slipknot, Korn, and Marilyn Manson. They released their first single in 2014 “Sunday School” (check it out below) and were signed to Rise Records in the same day. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: FAILURE ANTHEM

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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 Failure Anthem.

On Friday, July 14th, Failure Anthem will be right up with Hell or Highwater (last week’s spotlight artist) to be one of the first bands to take the Chicago Open Air stage in 2017. This will be their second Danny Wimmer Presents festival after playing Carolina Rebellion last year in 2016. The band has made swift progress after only forming in 2013 when guitarist Kile Odell wanted to form his own project after working with several other artists including Motionless in White. From Greensboro, North Carolina, Failure Anthem set out to deliver catchy hard rock songs with a positive message in their music. The band signed with Razor & Tie in 2015 and released their debut record in early 2016.

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Chicago Open Air Spotlight: HELL OR HIGHWATER [New Song Stream]

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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 Hell Or Highwater.

Friday, July 14th, Hell Or Highwater will be one of the first bands to hit the Chicago Open Air stage in 2017. The band was formed originally as a solo project by Atreyu vocalist/drummer Brandon Saller in 2011 when Atreyu went on a brief hiatus. This material is definitely more upbeat and rock’n’roll while Atreyu was on the darker, metalcore side for most of their career. Hell Or Highwater will be at the festival promoting upcoming new material from their album ‘Vista’ which comes out on May 19th. You can check out the artwork for that and a few tracks below. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: DRAGONFORCE [New Song Streams]

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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 DragonForce.

On Saturday, July 15th, these power/speed metal legends will be taking the Chicago Open Air stage for their first Danny Wimmer Presents festival. Like many from the States, I became familiar with DragonForce sitting at home as a kid playing their songs on Guitar Hero like “Through the Fire and the Flames” and “Fury of the Storm”. They’ve produced epic material consistently with symphonic elements while Herman Li is shredding at the speed of the light. There is also something in their sound that makes you think of old school video games tunes (some have even referred to them as “Nintendo Metal”). The band has went through several lineup changes since forming in 1999 but original guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman still remain a part of the group. DragonForce is releasing a new album titled ‘Reaching Into Infinity’ this year and details can be found about it here. You can stream two tracks off of it below right now! Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: PIG DESTROYER

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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 Pig Destroyer.

On Saturday, July 15th, one of the heaviest bands on the planet is set to take the stage at Chicago Open Air in Bridgeview, IL. Pig Destroyer is a deathgrind five-piece hailing from the city of Alexandria, VA that was formed around 20 years ago by J.R. Hayes and the legendary Scott Hull. The music consists of a high mix of brutality and ferocity sure to annihilate anyone in its path. There are highly disturbing lyrics sure to appeal to any horror lover as the band blasts through a ton of songs on each record (there are 23 tracks on ‘Prowler in the Yard’ in under 40 minutes). Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: Night Verses

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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 Night Verses.

On Saturday, July 15th, California/New York band Night Verses will be bringing their strange, varied sound to Chicago Open Air at Toyota Park. They formed in 2012 in Los Angeles when vocalist Douglas Robinson (The Sleeping) asked to collaborate with trio The Sound Archives. Later that year, they self-released their debut EP titled ‘Out of the Sky’. The quartet exhibits their wide range of influence extremely well in their releases. They are most prevalent in the post rock, alt metal, mathcore, and experimental categories. Night Verses carries an utterly dark, melodic sound that should make for a high intensity show not to be forgotten. Continue reading →