*Every Thursday from now until Louder Than Life 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 DED!
If you haven’t yet heard of or jammed out to the band DED, you must have truly been hiding under a rock! DED will be performing at Louder Than Life on Saturday September, 30th along side other great acts like Ozzy Osbourne, Rise Against, Incubus, Mastodon, Gojira and various others. The band formed in Phoenix, AZ two years ago with the goal of putting listeners on edge. They have achieved various other goals in the process as well. The band has been one of the best up and coming bands of the year and has helped revive the nu-metal scene that once was considered endangered. Over the course of the year they have taken the music scene by storm with their two singles. They were collecting fans from all over the world even prior to their album dropping. Their live performances and EP led to a quick amount of success including shows with Beartooth, Atreyu, Every Time I Die, and more. This summer they hit the road with Korn on several different tours, playing alongside acts like Stone Sour, Skillet, and Animals as Leaders. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Louder Than Life Spotlight: BLACK MAP
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s Artist is Black Map
Black Map has been making the rounds this year on the festival circuit. This years Carolina Rebellion was actually one of the bands first festival appearances of the year. We were there to see their dominating performance and the fans there loved them just as much as we did. Again we were able to see them at Chicago Open Air in July and once again they were one of the most dominating bands of the day. The alt metal trio unleashed their first songs in 2014. First, their 4-song EP titled ‘Driver’ was released in February and all 4 songs were included later on that year on their first full length album ‘…And We Explode’. They put off a heavy 90’s rock vibe with huge, blasting riffs and raw emotion all packed into one punch. Last year the band made a large breakthrough with the premiere of a new song “Run Rabbit Run”. This song took the airwaves by storm and told us to get ready for 2017 because Black Map is quickly on their way to the top. ‘In Droves’ dropped across the US on March 10th via eOne Music. The album was produced by Aaron Hellam at Hellman Sound. Consisting of members from the bands Far, The Trophy Fire, and dredg, the band does a solid job combining all of the project’s sounds into one.
Comments Off on Louder Than Life Spotlight: GRETA VAN FLEET
L-R: Sam Kiszka, Josh Kiszka, Danny Wagner, Jake Kiszka
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s artist is Greta Van Fleet.
Greta Van Fleet – which took its name from one of the close-knit community’s town elders – is a hard rocking quartet whose creative ambitions and achievements reach far beyond the ages of the four band members, not all of them old enough to have voted in last November’s election. The band includes brothers Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar) and Sam Kiszka (bass, keyboards) and best friend drummer Danny Wagner – are dedicated to bringing real rock’n’roll back to the mainstream. The band delivers high-energy, sweaty, sexy rock’n’roll loaded with attitude and bravado that exemplifies each band member’s killer musical chops and Josh’s simply jaw-dropping voice. Greta Van Fleet bring back a throwback kind of sound that most old school metal heads thought was gone forever. Not only are they bringing it back in general but they are bringing this retro sound to the stage at Louder Than Life. Their four-song debut EP Black Smoke Rising was released on April 21, the group deftly straddles the line between timeless and future, sounding at once like many things you’ve heard before and also something you’ve never heard before. Some have even referred to the band as America’s next greatest rock band. The band doesn’t have an intense history or discography to tell you about as of right now. Greta Van Fleet is currently making their own history and you can be a part of the crowd when they take the stage in Louisville, Kentucky at Louder Than Life. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Louder Than Life Spotlight: BLEEKER
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s artist is Bleeker.
On Sunday, October 1st, Bleeker is coming to Louder Than Life all the way from Ontario, Canada. The band formed in 2003 but did not change their name to Bleeker until 2016. Taylor and Cole Perkins formed the band as brothers and continue to climb their way up the ladder of the rock scene. They were all young teenagers when they started so they are still a fairly young band despite being seasoned artists. They were originally called Bleeker Ridge but changed their name to just Bleeker when Dustin and Dan Steinke left the band in 2016. Their sound in their early days was strong enough to get them signed to Roadrunner Records in 2010. They released ‘Small Town Dead’ and later toured with acts like Papa Roach, Buckcherry, and Airbourne. They released one more album under Bleeker Ridge independently in 2013 before the name change. The new album marked the band’s rise back to the top for a second time. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Louder Than Life Spotlight: BADFLOWER
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s artist is Badflower.
On Sunday, October 1st, hard rock band Badflower hits the Louder Than Life stage for the first time. The band started out just 4 years ago in Los Angeles. People immediately took note of their passionate, bluesy rock performances as they received high praise for a show they played with Kongos. They released their music video for “Soap” the following year via Hundred Hand Records. The video was even premiered on Loudwire, so the band was definitely being noticed by the right people at an early stage. The quartet has played on several Danny Wimmer Presents festivals including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Welcome To Rockville since signing with Republic Records last year. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Louder Than Life Spotlight: BITERS
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s artist is Biters.
On Sunday, October 1st, hard rock band Biters brings their deadly, catchy sound to Louder Than Life. This is a band that has been highly regarded as the new forerunners of rock’n’roll by many websites like Classic Rock, TeamRock, BlabberMouth, and more. It all started back in 2010 when the Atlanta quartet released their self-titled EP. This EP drew heavy influences from 70s artists like Alice Cooper and Thin Lizzy. There is a cross on all of their records between glam rock, punk, and classic rock with big pop hooks to make for a very accessible sound. Their first three EPs were released on Underrated Records. Their fourth EP ‘Last of a Dying Breed dropped in 2012 via Pipeline Records. Although they were released on labels, Biters did most of everything on their own. They even had received notice from bands as big as Green Day at that stage in their career. Having four EPs out in just two years was a huge accomplishment, but many fans were getting anxious for a full length record. Three years later, they finally got that. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Louder Than Life Spotlight: PALISADES
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s artist is Palisades.
On Saturday, September 30th, electronic rock band Palisades will be opening up Louder Than Life. Palisades formed just six short years ago in New Jersey. The same year they formed, they put out their first taste of music with a four song EP. Their mix of electronic rock, alternative rock, and metalcore sound were enough to grab the attention of Rise Records. They were signed to the label in the same year. That same EP was released again later with Rise and the title was changed from ‘The Rise’ to ‘I’m Not Dying Today’. “Disclosure” and “Bury It” from the EP both received music videos. Two year later, the band dropped their debut album ‘Outcasts’. Check out “High & Low” from that record below. ‘Mind Games’ dropped in 2015 and was their heaviest record yet. It features their best combination of electronic music and rock to date. Louis Miceli sounds extremely similar to Tyler Carter of Issues at times on this record. The band went out on the Vans Warped Tour for their first time that same year to promote ‘Mind Games’.
Less than a year after ‘Mind Games’, bassist Brandon Reese and keyboardist Earl Halasan left the fold. Brandon Elgar was introduced as the new bassist and someone by the name of Graves would be on the turntables. Shortly after the changes in the bands were made, the band dropped one more song featuring the old members. “Fall” was a bit of foreshadowing with what direction the band was heading toward. They were starting to add more pop elements to their music while still maintaining their old sound. In January of this year, the band released their third full length album, ‘Palisades’. The record combined all of the work they had done into the past into one diverse record. “Let Down” is still the biggest hit on record as it continues to receive airplay on big stations like Sirius XM Octane. Check out that song and “Better Chemicals” (which just got a music video a few weeks ago) below. While the old material is great, Palisades has mainly been sticking to playing lots of material from the new album live.Don’t miss this band if you are a fan of bands like We Came As Romans, Crown The Empire, or I See Stars. This will be the band’s first time on a Danny Wimmer Presents festival. Buy your tickets to see Palisades at Louder Than Life this fall right here. Be sure to follow the band on Facebook for updates on new music and upcoming tours. Also like the festival page on Facebook to stay up to date with any changes in the lineup or any additions of experiences to the festival.
Palisades is:
Louis Miceli – Vocals
Matt Marshall – Guitar
Xavier Adames – Guitar
Graves – Producer/DJ
Brandon Elgar – Bass/Vocals
Aaron Rosa – Drums
Comments Off on Louder Than Life Spotlight: FIRE FROM THE GODS
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s artist is Fire From The Gods.
On September 30th, Texas rap metal band Fire From The Gods hits Champions Park for the first time. The band formed in Austin, TX in 2010 and has really sprung onto the scene in the last year or so. Their album ‘Narrative’ had bangers like “Excuse Me” and “End Transmission” with AJ Channer controlling the flow of the songs with his blend of rap, reggae, and rock vocals to keep you on your toes. AJ Channer is actually the band’s second vocalist after he replaced Eric July who is now doing a project called Backwordz. Fire From The Gods has already played several major festivals this year like Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Welcome to Rockville. They only continue to gain popularity as they’ve been playing on the Vans Warped Tour all summer as well. This isn’t just your typical, generic rap metal band. These guys have a message to go with their music that has been needed for a long time. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Louder Than Life Spotlight: THROUGH FIRE
*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*
Today’s artist is Through Fire.
On Saturday, September 30th, Nebraska hard rockers Through Fire will be hitting the stage at the 4th annual Louder Than Life. The band came to be just last year after the band Emphatic decided to change their name. If you’ve been listening to rock radio for the last few years, Emphatic might sound familiar. They had hits like “Put Down The Drink” and “Remember Me” that received a lot of air time. I don’t think they play any material from those days as they already have their full debut record out as Through Fire. ‘Breathe’ dropped last year and charted very well in the US for a debut rock artist’s release. Their song “Stronger” played a large part in this. It stayed atop Sirius XM Octane’s “Big Uns” list for many weeks. This will be the band’s second Danny Wimmer Presents festival. They opened up the inaugural Chicago Open Air festival last year right as their record was released. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air 2017 Day Three: Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Lamb of God, Amon Amarth, Behemoth, & More
We have finally arrived to the last day of Chicago Open Air. Sunday was the reason many of us made the trip for this huge three day weekend. By the time it rolled around, some fans were calling it “Death Day”. You could definitely understand where they were coming from. There were several heavy hitters taking the stages today including Ozzy and Zakk Wylde, Slayer, Lamb of God, Amon Amarth, DevilDriver, Behemoth, and more. Lots of running back and forth would lead to a very tiring day. Luckily, it ended up being the coolest day of the weekend, which made it a bit more bearable. Continue reading to see our review on the most electric day of the festival. Continue reading →
