PRIMUS Packs The Pinnacle in Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

It’s been quite the past few months for legendary Bay Area trio Primus. In between legs of the “Sessanta” tour, the never-ending celebration of Maynard James Keenan’s 60th birthday with A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, long-time drummer, Tim “Herb” Alexander, left the band for the third time last October, and no, he won’t be comin’ back for the holidays. After an open audition process that received over 6,200 submissions, Shreveport, Louisiana-based John Hoffman was announced as the newest drummer for Primus in February. The band released an outstanding 12 episode YouTube series, “The Primus Interstellar Drum Derby,” documenting in person jams with several of the finalists, which can be checked out here. Hoffman made his live debut at Tool’s Live in the Sand festival in the Dominican Republic on March 8th, sharing drum duties with another lesser-known drummer named Danny Carey. On March 25th, Primus announced their “Onward & Upward” tour that would run from July 5th through August 8th, coming hot on the heels of the final leg of “Sessanta V2.0” that would wrap up in June.

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TOOL Spirals Out in Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

Four years and six days to the date since last descending upon Nashville, genre transcending and now three time Best Metal Performance Grammy winning band Tool returned to Music City to fascinate their ever loyal fan base and captivate the uninitiated. Along for the ride and opening was Author & Punisher, who, as with most Tool tours, was an eccentric choice that most Tool fans wouldn’t necessarily encounter when shuffling ‘Tool Radio’ on their streaming service of choice.
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MAC SABBATH, OKILLY DOKILLY & PLAYBOY MANBABY Bring the Cheese to Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

Mac Sabbath

Sunday night in the heart of the bible belt, about 400 family and friends were observing the Sabbath in one of Nashville’s most iconic places of worship, the Exit/In. Preaching the evils of the fast food industry, “drive thru metal” pioneers Mac Sabbath brought one of the most entertaining tour lineups to the stage that I’ve experienced in my 40+ years on this planet for the American Cheese Tour. Joined by Homer Simpson’s favorite Christian neighbor Ned Flanders, well the five Ned Flanders of Okilly Dokilly to be exact, and fun-loving punk outfit Playboy Manbaby, the mix of raucous comedy and iconic Black Sabbath riffs kept the heads banging and the pit swirling the entire night. Continue reading

EXIT 111 Festival Releases Daily Set Times!

 

Exit 111 has been one of the most anticipated festivals of the summer and fall in its inaugural year. Taking place on the farm that Bonnaroo has made iconic right outside of Nashville, Tennessee. The lineup is diverse but appeals to more of a rock and metal crowd than Bonnaroo. You have legendary bands with decades of experience like Guns N’ Roses, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ TopCheap Trick and Def Leppard. Then you also have bands that have made a name for themselves and would be a headliner on most any tour lineup like Coheed and Cambria, Mastodon, Ghost, and Deftones. Then you have my favorite bands to see; the up and coming bands that I personally think you shouldn’t miss. These bands have something to prove and they will go all out to impress the massive crowds at festivals. Those bands include Tetrarch, Dirty Honey, Alien Weaponry, Them Evils, Power Trip and Kyle Shutt (of The Sword) showcasing his solo act. I don’t think I need to explain how important it is that you also get a chance to see Slayer one last time, and this will be their final performance in the Volunteer State, so don’t miss them. Continue reading

KORN & ALICE IN CHAINS Twist Them Bones in Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

Korn

The freak was unleashed and the man was let out of his box when genre defining heavyweights Korn and Alice In Chains brought their co-headlining tour to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN Friday night, with openers Underoath and Ho99o9 setting the tone early. The sixth stop of a 30 date US tour spanning mid-July to early September, Nashville once again proved a worthy host to all things metal as throngs of black t-shirt clad revelers funneled through the arena doors in fervent anticipation of coming undone. Continue reading

MESHUGGAH & THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER Bring the Heavy To Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

Meshuggah

Swedish extreme metal innovators Meshuggah treated U.S. fans to a surprise when they announced they would hit the spring U.S. festival circuit and sprinkle in a handful of select cities across the states in between. In addition to Welcome to Rockville, the Epicenter Festival, the Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, and the Chicago Open Air Festival, Meshuggah chose to destroy six other lucky cities as they traversed the southern and northeastern states before heading to Europe this summer. Joining them on these select dates were Detroit, MI death metal veterans The Black Dahlia Murder. Continue reading

COC, CROWBAR & More Get It On In Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

COC

Southern stoner metal juggernauts Corrosion of Conformity wrapped up a long and winding 30 date North American tour in Music City with sludgy brothers in arms Crowbar, Maryland doom metal veterans The Obsessed, and Dallas based trio Mothership stopping by The Cowan to fire up an already atypically warm February evening. Continue reading

DISTURBED Evolution Tour Rolls Through Nashville! [Review & Photos]

Disturbed

The, “Music City,” of Nashville, Tennessee has always been a household name to some of the most famous classic Country and old time Rock and Roll artists of the 21st century, such as Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, and so on. One thing that many people don’t realize about this wonderful town is that it has a heavy metal scene that is alive and well, thriving at its peak. Bands such as Red and All Them Witches call this wonderful town home, and prove that honky tonk music isn’t the only thing it specializes in. The Bridgestone Arena alone has hosted some of the most legendary musicians ever from all over the world, and this night is no exception. Disturbed’s Evolution Tour made its way through the heart of Tennessee with direct support from Three Days Grace to a near sold out crowd. Continue reading

10 YEARS Celebrates Division in Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

10 Years

Continuing the 10th anniversary celebration of one of their more diverse albums, ‘Division,’ Knoxville rockers 10 Years stopped by their second TN home in Nashville to treat fans to some songs that haven’t been heard live in a long time and some for the first time. Helping whet the appetites of the growing crowd at The Cowan were local boys Sleep for the Weary, Lafayette, LA originated but now Nashville based The Other LA, and Chattanooga/Nashville alt rockers EMERGE. All three of these bands served as a crucial reminder to never sleep on the opening bands. Get to shows early, you never know when you’ll discover your new favorite band! Continue reading

MACHINE HEAD Crushes All In Nashville [Review & Photo Gallery]

Machine Head

Freaks. Zeros. Head Cases. This is who we are. Nashville Machine Head fans made a declaration on Saturday night as they descended upon the sold out Exit/In like a swarm of locusts, clenching fists of dissent and preparing to exhale the vile darkness from within. Continue reading