Comments Off on Danny Wimmer Presents Releases “Driven” Interview with COREY TAYLOR
Just about an hour ago, festival promoters Danny Wimmer Presents released an incredible video with Corey Taylor asking what drives him. It’s an interesting, motivating interview that I highly recommend watching. This is the second edition of “Driven”. The first “Driven” was released with member of Korn. You can check it out below. Don’t miss Corey Taylor performing with Stone Sour at several Danny Wimmer Presents festivals including Chicago Open Air, Aftershock, Houston Open Air, and Louder Than Life. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: CLUTCH
*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 Clutch.
This Saturday, Maryland rockers Clutch are bringing a barrage of fantastic music to Chicago Open Air. The quartet will be headlining the BlackCraft Stage at 7:20. Personally, I’m looking forward to these guys as much as anyone else playing at the fest. They have released 11 albums and every single one of them kick ass. The pure rock fury that they deliver is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Neil Fallon has the perfect voice for a mix of blues and rock and roll and is one of the most unique vocalists I’ve heard. Tim Sult overloads our minds with extremely catchy riffs that make for fun jam sessions. Check out our interview with Tim at the Louder Than Life festival last year here. Jean-Paul Gaster is severely underrated on the drums. To fully appreciate Gaster, I recommend checking out his work in The Bakerton Group. The Bakerton Group is literally all four members of Clutch except it’s an instrumental band instead. Dan Maines also drives several grooves of the band on the bass. His work is especially strong on their debut record ‘Transnational Speedway League’ on songs like “A Shogun Named Marcus” and “El Jefe Speaks”. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: AVERSED
*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 Aversed.
On Sunday, July 16th, students from the Berklee College of Music will bring their melodic death metal sounds to Chicago Open Air. Aversed is a 5-piece, female-fronted band that formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 2009. The band was added to the festival just a few weeks before the schedule was released so you won’t see them on the poster below. This was a much needed addition as the festival was lacking a female-fronted group. They hit the BlackCraft Stage on Sunday very early at 12:05 p.m. but it will be a performance you don’t want to miss. I’ve always found that some of the best performances of a festival will take place very early in the day. Read a little bit about how Aversed is preparing for the festival in this article from The Artery on WBUR 90.9 here.
Aversed released their debut EP last year in November titled ‘Renewal’. “Prison of Existence” opens the EP with a ferocity that shows they are more than just a band to get the day started off. Drawing influence from several bands playing the fest that day like Behemoth, Ozzy Osbourne, and Slayer, they create an extreme sound similar to that of the most recent Arch Enemy record. Even with only 5 songs, the EP clocks in at about 30 minutes with its epic combination of death metal growls, melodic vocals, fast-paced rhythms, and god-tier shredding from the guitarists. Check out “Prison of Existence” and a music video for the title track “Renewal” below. The video shows that the band puts a lot of energy into their live shows so I’m looking forward to seeing them own the stage very soon. This will be the quintet’s first time playing a Danny Wimmer Presents event. Buy your tickets to see Aversed make their festival debut at Chicago Open Airhere. Follow the band on Facebook for upcoming news on brand new music and tours. Also follow the festival page for updates and additions to the festival in the coming days. 8 more days people!!
Aversed is:
Haydee Irizarry – Lead Vocals
Sungwoo Jeong – Guitar/Vocals
Alden Marchand – Guitar
Martin Epstein – Bass
Jeff Saltzman – Drums
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: MUSHROOMHEAD
*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 Mushroomhead.
On Saturday, July 15th, the legendary seven piece brings their experimental metal sound to Chicago Open Air from Cleveland, Ohio. They hit the BlackCraft Stage at 4:15 right after Avatar crushes the Monster Energy Main Stage. I believe Mushroomhead will leave a strong impression among the crowd that will be deserving of a main stage spot in the future. Since forming in 1993, Mushroomhead has always had a bit of a cult following that has kept them on the map. Their devoted fans have stayed loyal after all these years because of the band’s extreme passion for their music. The segment they do in their show with the water drums is something that has to be seen live. It’s truly one of the most unique things you will see in a live setting. For many years, people have argued over Slipknot or Mushroomhead. Instead of doing that, I’ve learned to appreciate both with their similarities and also their vast differences as artists. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: DEVILDRIVER
*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 DevilDriver.
On Sunday, July 16th, there will be Clouds Over Chicago as DevilDriver hits the BlackCraft Stage at 2:00 at Chicago Open Air. You’ll see in just about any live footage of DevilDriver that they bring ridiculously large mosh pits through their entire set. Dez Fafara is one of the best at making a crowd go crazy. There’s a reason they did two separate US tours with Hatebreed last year. Although he is the only original member left of the band, they still continue to put out fantastic material constantly. They took a short hiatus after releasing their first album via Napalm Record in 2013 (‘Winter Kills’) so Dez could focus on his other incredible band, Coal Chamber. Fafara has even mentioned bringing Coal Chamber material into DevilDriver sets. It would definitely be interesting to see a mix of both of his projects but we will more than likely only get DevilDriver material in Chicago. DevilDriver returned quickly in 2016 with their new album ‘Trust No One’ and have been touring since then. Sunday will include an abundance of moshing with bands like them, Lamb of God, Amon Amarth, and Slayer all hitting the two stages on the same day. Continue reading →
Comments Off on DED Releases Music Video For “Anti-Everything” Via Sirius XM Octane
Just a few hours ago, up and coming nu metal band DED released their second music video for their hit song, “Anti-Everything”. The video shows the things in the world that the band has obviously become sick of. The song was released about 4 months ago and has received a massive amount of airplay across the nation. It really took off on the Octane channel and spread to everywhere else. You can check out the song below. See what frontman Joe Cotela has to say about the song and video:
“We see these terrible things happening all over the world, and I don’t want to be associated with any of it,” Cotela said. “These negative acts and humans do not speak for me or the people that I surround myself with. I’m not going to tell anyone how to think, but I’m doing my best to stay conscious and aware of the way that I’m impacting the world. We should be past this bullshit. We are better than this. The images depicted here are only a small part of the influence of Anti-everything. There is so much more. The phrase can be left up to you to interpret based on you and your lifestyle. Anti-everything, to me, is me being beyond frustrated with the way things are to the point that I have to throw my hands up and say, ‘I’m none of this, I’m creating my own lane.”
The band has been seen across the country at festivals like Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Northern Invasion. They’ve also been on tour with the likes of Korn, Stone Sour, and Yelawolf. They will be playing even more fests later in the year including Chicago Open Air (tickets here) and Louder than Life (tickets here). DED‘s debut album, ‘mis•an•thrope’ will drop on July 21st via Suretone Records and can be pre-ordered here. Make sure to follow the band on Facebook for updates on more upcoming new music and tour dates. You can learn more about the band from our COA Spotlight.
DED is:
Joe Cotela – Vocals
David Ludlow – Guitar
Kyle Koelsch – Bass
Matt Reinhard – Drums
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: METAL CHURCH
*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 METAL CHURCH.
There are various legendary metal bands playing this years Chicago Open Air. One of those acts have been creating head banging riffs and incredible hooks for over 3 decades. That’s right Metal Church one of the most iconic and legendary bands in heavy metal will be playing Saturday at this years Chicago Open Air Festival. Metal Church first formed in 1980 in San Francisco, California. The band has a strong traditional heavy metal sound that also included some thrash elements which became more prevalent later on in their career. It wasn’t long however before they packed up and headed north to Aberdeen, Washington the following year. During a brief time after moving they also played under the name Shrapnel. If you think about the two words “metal” and “church” its the two things a lot of people find comfort in. Those of us that are die hard metal heads consider live shows, festival grounds and hole in the wall venues to be our personal church. The bands namesake is really what metal is all about. The band has released 11 studio albums. The founding members vocalist David Wayne, guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, drummer Kirk Arrington, bassist Duke Erickson, and guitarist Craig Wells released the bands self-titled debut album in 1984. It was first released independently through Ground Zero Records and because of how successful the album was it re-release via Elektra Records a year later. “Beyond The Black” was the opener on the album and one of the standout songs. In 1986 the band released their sophomore album ‘The Dark’. In 2005, the album was ranked number 389 in Rock Hard magazine’s book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: BEHEMOTH
*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 Behemoth.
On Sunday, July 16th, Chicago Open Air gets a taste of one of the world’s most acclaimed black metal bands, Behemoth. Since forming in 1991, the Polish black/death metal band has been known for their polarizing, intense live shows that sweep the crowd off of their feet. Typically meant for playing in the dark for the atmosphere, it will be interesting to see how Behemoth adjusts to bringing their full power into the sun. They are hitting the road here in the US with Lamb of God and Slayer so they definitely are not to be taken lightly. They are also one of the few bands that still put a great amount of thought into their music videos. Videos like “Ben Sahar”, “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel”, and “At The Left Hand Ov God” contain very vivid imagery rather than only showing the band performing like most bands do now. Some people may be turned away from them because of the satanic content but I encourage you to give them a chance live. I know several people that did not appreciate them until watching one of their incredible live shows. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: WHITECHAPEL
*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 Whitechapel.
On Friday, July 14th, yet another massively popular deathcore band hits the Chicago Open Air stage alongside Suicide Silence. Since forming in 2006, Whitechapel has consistently released great, heavy material and evolved slightly throughout each record. Phil Bozeman is considered to be one of the best vocalists in the wide variety of extreme metal with his mind boggling low screams. While being recognized for that, Bozeman also has a pretty solid singing voice. On the new record, ‘Mark of the Blade’, the band incorporates the clean vocals more often on tracks such as “Bring Me Home” and “Decennium”. You can check out the highly emotional video of “Bring Me Home” below. It has been a long time coming for Whitechapel to hit the US festival circuit. I saw them at Rock on the Range and they exceeded expectations. With one of the largest crowds on the third stage that weekend, they delivered a blistering setlist that tightly grasped the crowd for the entirety of the show. If you haven’t seen them already, you’re in for a treat. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: CROBOT
*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 Crobot.
On Friday, July 14th, groove rock titans Crobot will be storming onto the Chicago Open Air stage for the first time. The band has played several other Danny Wimmer Presents events including Carolina Rebellion, Rock on the Range, and Louder than Life. I had the chance to see them both times they played the Louder than Life festival and they are something special to watch. The vibe and energy that these guys create at a live show is astounding. The first time I saw them, I was only slightly familiar with the current record at the time (‘Something Supernatural’) when they absolutely blew the doors off of the place. Hitting the stage at around 12:00, Crobot played like they were closing the show. Lead singer Brandon Yeagley is constantly moving on the stage with a 70s-esque persona of a frontman. Bishop is roaring through a pile of incredible riffs while the Figueroa brothers are holding it down on the rhythm section. I’ve always loved discovering new, upcoming talent at these festivals and Crobot was one of the first examples of that for me. Continue reading →
