Summer is fast approaching and with it music shows are on the horizon. Much like the movie industry music brings out its big “blockbusters” for the summer months. So here is probably my last post, and a list of upcoming shows, in the Colorado area, that would be pretty excellent to see for any headbanger.
Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival
This is the big dog on campus right now for mainstream metal music. Getting its start in 2008 it is a relatively new festival but has always been known to stack its main with the big names of the year. Not only does one get big name exposure but also a taste of lesser known bands. Mayhem Festival is a day long metal show that is made of 3 stages; the “extreme stage” reserved for local and extreme heavy bands, the Jagermeister stage, names after its main sponsor and drink of choice, set aside for bands to be on the look out for or heavier metal chore bands that have huge follows but due to strange politics never seem to make it to main stage, and of course Main Stage which usually consists of 3 name giants and at least 2 other growing bands. This year the main headliners are Disturbed, Godsmack, and Megadeath. This show is always a lot of fun no matter what sub-genre you are into, but I would personally be on the look out for Hatebreed and Straight Line Stitch.
Black Label Society/Uranium Tour
Led by guitar god Zakk Wylde this band is making a stop in Denver, CO on May 13 so move fast! I have never seen this band but have always enjoyed their music. The song, Stillborn, is a good icebreaker for anyone new to the group. Now sadly I do no have much to say about them because I simply so not know. All I can say is Zakk, play guitar for Ozzy at least one more time, please.
Sepultura at the Gothic Theater
If a smaller venue is more of your style check out this Brazilian native band on May 16. The band was formed back in 1984 and has a massive following in their native land, but here in the states they are still a bit small. Yet I would recommend seeing this band if you life if mix of trash and speed metal. Not to mention Sepultura makes it a point to included traditional Brazilian instruments in their music and that’s just fun for the whole family.
A few weeks ago I wrote a post talking about bands that do not perform well on stage, so what better thing to do than to write a post about bands that kick ass on stage. So here is my list, in no particular order, of bands that I recommend people go see at least once in their life time.
I realize I talk about this band quite a bit, but what can I say they are my favorite so there might be a little bias. Overall this band puts on a show that even the new comers can’t deny is awesome. Front man Corey Taylor commands the crowd to the point that you are no longer there to watch the show, but rather you are there on his ride. If you get the chance to see their show make sure to prepare yourself for the song, Spit It Out, because you will find yourself in the worlds largest jumping moshpit whether you planned it that way or not. Pair all this with screaming guitars, crushing percussion, and a DJ to round it out, and you are in for a good time.
Here is a taste of the craziness that is Spit It Out its even more intense in person. It may be an old video but it isn’t any less awesome.
This next band is more of a throw back band for me. I really enjoyed these guys in my early high schools years, but believe it or not they are still going strong. Unfortunately their latest albums seem a bit generic that they seem to have fallen to the way of the cookie cutter when it comes to new music. But I am not here to discuss albums I’m here for the live show, and needless to say these guys are awesome. When I first saw Disturbed they were coming on stage to a crowd that was both tired and a bit pissed off, thanks a lot Dragonforce, but all that changed soon after David Draiman came out in a straight jacket and then belted out his first song. I have to say David has got to have the best live performance voice that I have ever seen. So Disturbed fan or not the live show is totally worth it. Check out the song, Stricken, to hear them at their best.
This is relatively new having just hit the scene with in the last five years and so far released only two albums, but this band could not have come at a better time. They released the debut album in 2007 when metal was in a patch of dry and generic music, needless to say this band was a welcome change. In a live setting this band features fast and heavy guitar work, pounding bass, and the in your face vocals of Ivan Moody. Some might recognize Moody from past projects such as Motograter or Ghost Machine. Much like Slipknot this band doesn’t just put on a show so much as they command the crowd. In fact Five Finger’s performance seems to be heavily weighted on the crowd’s actions, so if you do get a chance to see this band be prepared for a work out to say the least because from start to finish this show is balls to the wall. Check out songs like, The Bleeding, or, Bad Company, for a taste.
WALLS OF JERICHO
This next band I have thrown in for a little extra flavor. For a genre of music that is dominated by males Walls of Jericho delivers a welcome change to American metalcore type music. When Candace Kucsulain comes out on stage it is a bit surprising, not saying women can’t be metal singers, but you just do not see it that often. The second surprise is when the music starts because for a first timer like my self what I was seeing and hearing was mind blowingly awesome. Of the bands listed in this post Walls of Jericho is currently the heaviest so if curiosity gets the best of you go and check out, A Trigger Full of Promises, or There’s No I in F**k You for a taste.
So there you have it, just a few bands that put on excellent shows, and whether you are a fan or not I recommend going to see these groups at some point in your life. For the experience if anything else.
This post is in response to a previous posting asking what Slipknot’s next move would be in the wake of losing one of their original members, Paul Gray.
It was announced that Paul’s position will be temporarily filled by original band member, Donnie Steele. Donnie Steele, who was a founding member of Slipknot left the band in 1996, but has now been asked to rejoin the band for the fast approaching summer tour of Europe. The band was quoted saying that, Donnie was in the band at the very beginning, and rather than get an outsider we thought it would be a fitting tribute to Paul to play with someone from within the family.”
They also added that, “Donnie was great friends with Paul, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate his memory than with someone who was there with us at the very beginning. The eight of us are looking forward to being onstage again and honoring Paul’s legacy.”
Slipknot’s summer tour has also been updated to include Sonisphere Turkey on June 19th. They will be headlining with metal greats Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper; Mastodon and In Flames have also been added to the show.
And most recently Slipknot has announced two headlining shows in Russia for June 29 and 30. This is very exciting news for a fan of Slipknot it is only a matter of time that an American tour is announced and here’s hoping sooner than later because I will snag up some tickets to the nearest city as soon as it is booked. Welcome Back Slipknot!!
The world of metal music, and all music for that matter, is filled with good artists, bad artists, and many that fall in between. As a music lover one well no doubt come across examples from the entire spectrum. So here is a list I have come up with of artists that are on the lower end of this range, at least when it comes to their live show. Also I should point out that this list is in no particular order.
It truly pains me to put this band on the list, but it has to said; these guys suck in a live setting. Mastodon as a band has put out some excellent work everywhere from the headbanging inducing, Blood and Thunder, to the haunting tones of the Sleeping Giant, and Oblivion, their range is awesome. It’s songs like these that make one optimistic that metal music is alive and well and that there might be a leading band to make it so. All this goes away when Mastodon steps onto the stage, much to the disappointment of me and the people around me. Some how the guitar rifts sound off, either in key or timing, and the singing which is shared among the two lead guitarists and the drummer, which works on CD, becomes muttered and at times even laughable. So as I said before it pains me to include this band in the list of live flops but I must; so I say with a confused and disoriented face of what the crap is going on, GET OFF THE STAGE!!!
Second up is the English power metal band known as DragonForce. This band, who has put out four studio albums and is working on a fifth, did not see mainstream fame, at least in American, until they were featured on the Guitar Hero games as one of the final battle songs. This shove into mainstream brought the band into a whole new demographic of would be fans, including myself. Now I must give credit where credit is due, and point out that the guitar solos for all their songs are seriously mind blowing. It boggles the mind to think that a person can play a guitar so fast for so long when each song averages on the side of 6+ minutes. Also the lead singer brings some high octave singing that is not seen that often these day. Unfortunately this does not work live. In a live show this band comes out strong and stays that way to the point of overwhelming. The biggest downfall that I noticed was that all the songs sound the same, and DragonForce gives little time for the audience to catch their breath or bearings before the next song starts, and after 20 minutes I just need to leave. So I say as I try to regain my equilibrium, GET OFF THE STAGE!!!
This band is still up for debate on how I really feel about their live show. I enjoy this band’s recorded sound and naturally thought, like so many bands similar to them, that the transition to a live performance would be easy. Sadly my experience was not so great. One of the biggest complains I have with musicians is that they insist on partying it up before and during the show. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand the rockstar way of life as much as the next person, and having a few drinks at a show is going to happen, but in my case when I saw Shadows Fall the lead singer, Brian Fair, was so blitzed by the time he walked out on the stage that his performance turned into a slurred sloppy mess that the other band members could not save. So because they could not show up to work and perform in the manner that I had paid them for I say, with two very forceful middle fingers in the air, GET OFF THE STAGE!!!
This next band was not a hard choice for me personally. The American death metal band Cannibal Corpse has found its success through cult followings and trying its hardest to be at the forefront of controversy. The band has produced 11 studio albums since its formation in 1988 whose album artwork alone is too racy to be sold in stores with this original print. On top the disturbing images the themes of the songs only add to the bands gruesome persona. There is a reason that many of their songs have been banned in multiple countries around the world, so I guess it’s a good thing that I can’t really understand what lead singer, George Fisher, is saying in the first place. For those of you that are curious just go and look up Cannibal Corpse’s lyrics and just pick what ever song has the most interesting title and go ahead read what it has to say, I double dog dare you. In i live setting it is not better the songs are headache inducing and eventually start sounding all the same, and eventually I find myself hoping that their set will soon be over. Call me prude by I just have no appreciation for a band like this. So I say as I look for something to stop the blood coming from my ears, GET OFF THE STAGE!!!
As a side note if anyone has seen the movie, Ace Venture: Pet Detective, with Jim Carry, you have seen Cannibal Corpse. Click on the name to see the clip.
So there you have it, four band’s who’s live show needs some work or should just not happen all together. There are several others that I could mention on this subject, but I just don’t have the time. Thoughts or Comments??
So here is Oblivion by Mastodon. It’s an awesome song but seems impossible for them to reproduce in a live setting.
Last week one of the biggest names in metal, Slipknot, announced that they are going to be headlining Finland’s Sonisphere Festival later this summer. As a fan of Slipknot I could not be happier to hear that the band is attempting a comeback after the tragic and untimely loss of bass player Paul Gray. So I guess the big question now is what’s next for Slipknot?
With the recent loss of Gray one could only imagine what kind of mental break up the other 8 members have been through since his passing on May 24, 2010. I am truly curious to know if these latest tour date announcements are the bands next step for healing and re-growth, and if these few shows that have been announced for the summer are a way for Slipknot to “get their feet wet” and see how the show well go with one man down.
Gray’s loss well no doubt be a high hurdle to jump because he was one of the original founding members of the band which formed with its current members in 1998-1999. Since that year “The 9″ have released 4 major albums and on live record all of which Grey played and integral part in the song writing and backing vocal along with being the sole bass player of the band. One can only imagine how his loss impacted the group on a personal level, I can only imagine what kind of connection 9 people establish after being together for well over 10 years doing what they love. In fact the February 23, 2011 cover story of Kerrang! Magazine features Slipknot’s own Joey Jordison who opens up about the loss his best friend and what this all means for the band’s future. I recommend any fan give this article a read.
The obvious question that I and possibly many fans have is what kind of replacement are we going to see. Will Gray’s position be held by a no-name temp player for the upcoming shows, well the band bring in another bassist from another band to take the spot for the time being. Band swapping seems to be common practice now days; for example previously mentioned Joey Jordison has filled in the drummer’s position for the likes of Korn, Rob Zombie, Ministry, and Metallica in the past. What I think would be pretty awesome to see the band do would be to play Gray’s old bass lines from previous shows over the speakers during the songs as a gesture of lost but never forgotten, but only time will tell.
Personally I am excited and happy to hear that the band is getting back together, but I am taking this with a little hesitation because too often the loss of a band member can spell the beginning of the end for a group. So I well cross my fingers and hold my breath and see what this summer holds for my favorite band. I want nothing more than to see Slipknot rise from this tragedy and return to the top of the metal scene that they have so overwhelmingly dominated for at least the past 5-6 years, and here’s hoping for a new album in the some-what near future
The purpose of this blog is to create a conversation style page about metal and rock and roll music. I hope to bring to the table some unique and interesting view points about metal music and its current subject matter. I really enjoy reading up on current bands and keeping taps on what they are doing with themselves, such as planning a new tour, recording an album, or replacing members so I expect that the majority of my post well consist of this. I am also hoping to find time to write a few concert reviews to maybe give readers an idea of whom to look out for in their local town. But as I said before I want this blog to be a conversation piece so I am open to reader comments and suggestions on what to write about, whats new in the metal world, or maybe what I just need to shut up about. I would like to hear from a wide range of fan and metal genera; everywhere from classic rock to today’s underground scene. So while I hope I can expose some readers to new bands and music they may have never bothered with before I am also hoping to receive the same through feedback from any of my readers.
A little about myself, I am a 23-year-old college student living in Colorado on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and if I may be so bold to say that this state has a pretty awesome music scene for nearly any fan. When it comes to music my personal favorite bands have got to be Pantera, Five Finger Death Punch, and Slipknot. So one could say I lean more toward the mainstream metal scene, and you would be right in saying that, but I do not limit myself to this range of metal but rather embrace, or at least give every form a chance. For example I enjoy live hardcore metal shows but I have a hard time sitting and listening to them in my free time. Oh, and another random fact about myself my favorite classic rock song is Rock You Like a Hurricane by the Scorpions.
Some of my music history. I am in the process of learning to play guitar, and if I could some day shred like Dimebag Darrel or Mic Thomson that would be awesome but progress is slow. I really enjoy live shows; for example I have tried to my hardest to make it to all the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festivals and I really like small venue shows because this is the best way to get exposure to possible new comers. Support Local Music!
So to any of my potential readers I encourage and look forward to any feedback and opinions you may have.
