Review: FIRE FROM THE GODS – ‘Narrative Retold’

Unlike any other band in recent memory, Fire From The Gods have springboarded onto the music scene with recognition all around the metal community. The quintet’s combination of rap, hardcore, and metalcore brews a familiar but original sound. From Austin, TX, the band has set out to bring a bigger, more important message to metal that they feel has been lacking. Lead vocalist AJ Channer had this to say about the upcoming record:

“This album is the personal narrative of a minority man living in major cities and being American, there’s a socio-economic theme throughout the whole record that carries from each song to song. It’s all about the underdog. We’ve all had to fight for everything we have in this band. The political climate in our country is quite racially and socially charged. There are a lot of issues and energy people are expressing along with misguided hate and anger. I want to channel this in music that can resonate. This is where we come from and who we are as a band.”

‘Narrative Retold’ is Fire From The God’s second record and their debut on major label Rise Records. The album drops this Friday on May 19th; you can pre-order the record here. They are already building a well-established fan base touring across the country while making stops at large festivals like Carolina Rebellion and Rock on the Range. Continue reading

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: NORMA JEAN

*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 Norma Jean.

On Sunday, July 16th, pioneer metalcore titans Norma Jean join a stacked lineup at Chicago Open Air at Toyota Park. Norma Jean is known for their melodic, heavy sound that is perfect for driving a crowd into a frenzy. The band formed all the way back in 1997 in Georgia and there are no original members left. Former vocalist Josh Scogin left the band in 2002 right after the first full length album ‘Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child’ featuring tracks like “Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste” and “Creating Something Out of Nothing, Only to Destroy It.” Scogin went on to form acts like The Chariot and ’68. Current vocalist Cory Brandan Putman joined in 2004 and has been in the band for the longest period. Continue reading

Danny Wimmer Presents Premieres Driven: An Exclusive Interview With Korn [Video]

Korn at Chicago Open Air 2016

Via Danny Wimmer Presents, nu metal band Korn talks about what drives them in why they love playing music. Vocalist Jonathan Davis and guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer discuss some of their inspirations and how much the crowd means to them at shows. You can view the video below. Korn will be performing at Carolina Rebellion on May 6th, Rock on the Range on May 20th, and Chicago Open Air on July 15th. It was also just announced today that Korn will be opening for Rammstein alongside Stone Sour in Las Vegas on July 1st at the T-Mobile Arena. The show is also being presented by DWP and tickets go on sale Friday, March 31st. Be sure to follow the band on Facebook for tour updates and Danny Wimmer Presents for more exclusive content.

What Drives You?

Gojira Adds More US Dates w/ Kyng, Deafheaven, and Code Orange

The almighty French metal band Gojira has just added five more shows to their already large US tour. Two of these shows will feature heavy metal trio Kyng while the other three feature shoegaze black metal band, Deafheaven and hardcore punk band, Code Orange. You can find all the ticket links here. You can find the rest of the US dates below. Continue reading

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Postpones Show Prior To Rock On The Range!

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Red Hot Chili Peppers was on stage in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday night, but the band was unable to play for their fans. The face of the band for the evening was bass player Flea who announced the show in Irvine, California, wouldn’t go on. Iconic frontman Anthony Kiedis, 53, was heading to the hospital, Flea told the crowd. He was suffering from ‘extreme stomach pain’ which may have turned out to be “complications from the intestinal flu” . The following statement was released via RedHotChiliPeppers.com: Continue reading

Rock On The Range Reveals Line Up!

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We are very surprised about the lineup. Not saying it’s bad and not saying it’s great we just expected something different. Of course Red Hot Chili Peppers has a great fan base, but I expected someone slightly different. We happened to get about 11-12 bands right in our prediction. Megadeth is a major draw for thrash fans and the festival. Some of the bands lower down the list that are much deserving of stage time are Sevendust, Glorious Sons, and Monster Truck. One of the bands that surprised me was At The Drive In. I have been a longtime fan of the band and even the band that launched out of it The Mars Volta. I had no idea that At The Drive In (ATDI) was even back together, and looking through their Facebook they haven’t made a post since 2013 so this should come as a shock to most. The band is super energetic on stage and should create a lot of buzz after their set. As Motley Crue is just finishing up their ‘final tour” it looks like Nikki Sixx is going to spend more time with his project Sixx: Am. To be honest there isn’t really any filler bands on the list. Each band could hold their own on a smaller scale tour. Clutch, Ghost, Avatar, The Sword, Wilson and others are amazing bands that can easily pack a venue by themselves. I expected a much larger set of headliners but they added a tremendous amount of good bands rather than a couple huge headliners and filler bands. I expect a couple more bands to be added and look for some surprises at the festival.

Rock On The Range 10th Anniversary Predictions!

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The 10th anniversary of Rock On The Range is slowly approaching. Founder of the festival, Danny Wimmer, has had major success with several festivals around the U.S. including Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky, Carolina Rebellion in Charlotte, North Carolina and several others which round out the loudest month of the year during which most of these festivals occur. Rumor has it that Danny will be making an appearance on a radio station and possibly naming some of the headliners or bands that may be gracing the stage for the big anniversary. So just in case he does name some of them, we wanted to make our predictions prior to Monday. The show will take place May 20th, 21st, and 22nd in Columbus, Ohio as it has for several years. Continue reading