EXIT 111 FESTIVAL 2019: Saturday [Review & Photo Gallery]

Day one of Exit 111 (review and pics here) really set the bar high with a great mix of bands like Black Stone Cherry, Anthrax, 10 Years, Slayer, Killswitch Engage and classic rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd. Not to mention the amazing sunny fall Tennessee weather, with highs in the low 80s and the low reaching a cool but comfortable 44 degrees. But with temperatures promising to turn much cooler and steadily drop into the low 30s by nightfall, day two had to turn up the heat on stage in order to keep the campers toasty and the party rolling. So, at noon on Saturday, with college football in full swing at the Mega Sports Bar and a lineup of 18 bands scheduled for the day, the gates opened and the fans started pouring in. Continue reading

Chicago Open Air Day Sunday: Tool, Gojira, Fever 333, & More [Review and Photo Gallery]

Fever333

One of the benefits about less bands at Chicago Open Air this year was being able to sleep in before leaving on the second day. Since there were less bands this year, the event didn’t kick off until 2:30, instead of noon like past years. At the same time, it was strange heading in there for day two knowing that we had already arrived to the last day of the fest when it would’ve normally not even been the halfway mark of the festival yet. With that said though, we couldn’t wait to get out and catch seven fantastic sets from Alien Weaponry, The Black Dahlia Murder, Fever 333, In This Moment, Gojira, The Cult, and the legendary Tool. Continue reading

Epicenter Festival Spotlight: FEVER 333 [Official Videos]

 

Fever 333 is one of the most anticipated live bands of the summer. Vocalist Jason Aalon Butler formerly of Letlive is well known as a showman on stage. Having previously saw him perform with his previous band at the inaugural Chicago Open Air fans saw him not only sing with complete perfection but also climb to the top of the scaffolding on the stage approximately 400 feet up in the sky. Everyone eye in the crowd was watching Butler as he ascended to the top still screaming out vocals to the top of his longs. That is just one aspect of what you should expect when seeing him live and in the flesh. Of course he isn’t the only accomplished musician that makes up this stellar group. Following Butler’s Letlive break up, he teamed up with former The Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison and Night Verses drummer Aric Improta to create Fever 333 in July 2017. The singer also announced in the last few days the formation of his new hardcore band Pressure CracksFever 333 trio quickly signed to Road Runner Records and released their 7 track EP ‘Made An America’. The band has said their focus is on “community, charity, and change” and Butler adds: “The movement is much greater than the music. The art is only a contingent piece. We want to make sure we’re just as involved in the activism and actual activation. By no means do we expect other artists to take on this task. “Most of the people who made big improvements were either assassinated or just called crazy. We make it ostensibly clear that everything we do is in an active effort for change. It’s about bringing back that socio-political mindfulness. We’re trying to write the soundtrack to the revolution that we know is about to happen.”  Continue reading

Wessel’s Top 10 Albums Of 2018!

Metal has yet again spoken beautifully with metalcore records such as Erra & Ice Nine Kills or even the highly praised Aborted piece. And if those albums weren’t exactly for you then the long awaited Underoath will for sure do you right. It doesn’t matter how you put it, 2018 has been a fantastic year for metal!

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