World’s Loudest Month Spotlight: TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN

*This is part of the “World’s Loudest Month” segment where we branch out and focus on bands that fans can see at the year’s biggest music festivals during the month of May 2018!  This week, we introduce Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, a blues-rock quartet from “Music City” Nashville, TN who will be seeing a lot of stage time this Summer at Rock on the Range, Rockville, and more!*

I’m a firm believer that no matter your music preference, whether it be metal, rap, pop, or techno, everyone loves the blues in some form or another.  It’s also my belief that this, paired with the know-how and musical ability to create incredible music compositions, has played a major role in the rising success of Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown.  The band is the epitome of soulful, genuine songs of rhythmic blues-infused rock and roll and have proven themselves so much as to be privileged enough to share the stage with music giants like ZZ Top, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, and Guns N’ Roses Continue reading

World’s Loudest Month Spotlight: SHAMAN’S HARVEST [Official Videos]

*Every Wednesday from now until Rock On The Range and Carolina Rebellion we will be showcasing an artist playing the festival to help you get to know the bands*

Today’s Artist is Shaman’s Harvest

Alright, folks, this is it!  The official introduction to everyone’s favorite time of year – FESTIVAL SEASON!  This Summer is already shaping up to be one of the heaviest, loudest, and most memorable one yet with several music festivals across the country; most of them packing some quite unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime lineups!  As some of you may remember, last year we released festival spotlight segments each week to familiarize everyone with the bands they’ll see at those festivals.  Well, this time around, we’ll be focusing on two festivals taking place in the same month in particular.  Deemed the “World’s Loudest Month”, May 2018 will host Carolina Rebellion at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC May 4th-6th, and Rock On The Range in Columbus, OH on May 18th,19th, and 20th; both festivals courtesy of the always-pleasing Danny Wimmer Presents and AEG Presents.  We will be covering spotlights from both festivals in the weeks leading up to each, and to kick us off the right way this week, we’re looking at Shaman’s Harvest! Continue reading

ROCK ON THE RANGE 2018: TOOL, ALICE IN CHAINS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD

The 12th annual Rock On The Range returns to MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, OH Friday, May 18, Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 with its most power-packed lineup to date. America’s largest and most acclaimed rock festival features nearly 60 bands on three stages, led by TOOL, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, and ALICE IN CHAINS, also featuring GODSMACK, A PERFECT CIRCLE, STONE SOUR, BREAKING BENJAMIN, THREE DAYS GRACE, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, MACHINE GUN KELLY, THE USED, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, and many more. Many of the biggest names in rock will be joined by some of rock’s most exciting up-and-coming talent such as GRETA VAN FLEET who have been making huge waves in the rock community, almost getting the moniker of second Led Zeppelin. The group’s entire headlining US tour was sold out in minutes earlier this summer, which is a major feat for a rising band like them. Some of the other younger bands on the bill are CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP, and NEW YEARS DAY.

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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

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

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

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

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

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: SUICIDE SILENCE

*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 Suicide Silence.

On Friday, July 16th, deathcore legends Suicide Silence will be taking the stage at Chicago Open Air for their third Danny Wimmer Presents festival. They previously played Aftershock last October along with several other acts that day like Korn, Puscifer, Whitechapel, and more. They also just recently played Rock on the Range with Metallica, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Amon Amarth. The band formed in 2002 in Riverside, California in 2002 and released their first full length album in 2007 titled ‘The Cleansing’. The record sold extremely well for a debut and showed that the band would be very successful in the future. “Unanswered” and “No Pity For A Coward” grew to be fan favorites. ‘No Time To Bleed’ followed this record in 2009. Songs like “Wake Up” and “Disengage” have become staples in Suicide Silence‘s live sets. In 2011, the band released their final record, ‘The Black Crown’, on Century Media and also their final record with frontman Mitch Lucker. Lucker passed away in 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident. It was announced a year later that the band would continue with a new vocalist. Continue reading

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: CODE ORANGE

*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