The sixth annual Monster Energy Fort Rock festival will take place on Saturday, April 28th and Sunday, April 29th, 2018 at Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida, in greater Fort Lauderdale. Today the final lineup has been revealed, and all of the big names will be there. Continue reading
Every Time I Die released Low Teens to the masses last year via Epitaph Records, and the response from their fans was huge. Continue reading
Metalcore leaders August Burns Red drop a classic Christmas song cover every year. This year they have have released a take on ‘What Child Is This?’ (Greensleeves)’ to brighten your holiday spirits. Continue reading
The 3rd annual Louder Than Life Festival kicks off today at Champions Park, in Louisville, Kentucky. Ghost Cult is there to cover and bring you all the sounds and flavors of the fest! Check below for the daily line-up!Continue reading
The third annual Louder Than Life Festival will take place October 1 & 2 At Champions Park In Louisville, KY.Continue reading
Louisville Kentucky’s top flight metal and hard rock festival, the 3rd annual Louder Than Life festival has announced its 2016 lineup. Avenged Sevenfold will headline, with Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed, Korn and The Cult performing among others on October 1st and 2nd.
Tickets go on sale this Wednesday at noon EST at www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com. Prices will be $79.50 for a single-day general admission, $89.50 for a general admission weekend pass, and $234.50 for a VIP weekend pass. Other packages are available, with prices increases soon.
Other bands performing at Champions Park on River Road are Ghost, Cheap Trick, The Pretty Reckless, Alter Bridge, Pierce the Veil, Clutch, Anthrax, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Trivium and Sick Puppies. More than 50,000 fans attended last year’s sold-out festival, most from out of state.
With the Louisville locale in the forefront, the festival also features on bourbon and “gourmet man food”.
Celebrity chefs will be Edward Lee, Tom Coghill, Bill Kunz and Jonathan Schwartz, while the Gourmet Man Food Village will have several dozen choices, including Doc Crow’s, El Luchador,: 502 Café, Aporkalypse Now, Hi-Five Doughnuts, Holy Mole, The Comfy Cow, Gelato Gilberto and Cheese Louise.
Bourbon World, presented by the Louisville Courier-Journal, will feature Angel’s Envy, Basil Hayden’s, Benchmark, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Eagle Rare, Evan Williams, Four Roses, Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, Michter’s, Old Forester, Town Branch, Willett, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve.
Here are the daily line-ups:
Saturday, Oct. 1 – Avenged Sevenfold, Slayer, The Cult, The Pretty Reckless, Pierce The Veil, Cheap Trick, Chevy Metal, Anthrax, Motionless In White, Hellyeah, Sick Puppies, The Amity Affliction, Avatar, Neck Deep, Young Guns, Being As An Ocean, ’68, Twelve Foot Ninja, Dinosaur Pile Up.
Sunday, Oct. 2 – Slipknot, Disturbed, Korn, Ghost, Alter Bridge, Clutch, Biffy Clyro, Pop Evil, Skillet, Sevendust, Zakk Sabbath, Parkway Drive, Trivium, KYNG, Skindred, Adelitas Way, Crobot, Smashing Satellites, Sabaton.
The beautiful and warm Gibson Ranch was the scene for the 2015 Monster Energy Drink Aftershock. Not only does Aftershock always boast on of the best lineups of any festival in America, the gorgeous NorCal location allows for all kinds of attractions and activities making this the most well-rounded fest you could attend as well. The festival officially sold-out the entire weekend with over 25,000 in attendance each day.
The top of the bill for Saturday boasted some big big names, to be true. Headliners Slipknot are possibly the preeminent metal concert experience in the world right now, just based on the spectacle of their stage show and the epic music they bring. They also had a lot of people checking out their Haunted Scream Park for constant Halloween scares all weekend long too. Other big musical hitters such as Shinedown, Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Bring Me The Horizon and Black Veil Brides had fans drooling, packed in crows of people, and offered up a little something for everyone from across the range of active rock and metal genres. Especially with BMTH and Black Veil Brides, you are really seeing the future of music unfold before you, and the youth of the fans was served in the audience.
As much as Saturday had some “hall of fame” worthy acts, there was a lot of up and coming talent on early in the day such as the Beartooth performance, and strong showings from Red Sun Rising and September Mourning too. There will come a time when some of these headline bands wont be around anymore and the next generation of stars needs to rise up now. Some of them were on hand at Aftershock this weekend.
Saturday was a really a day to explore the festival grounds. Tons of people took in the great food options (BBQ, Tex Mex, Burritos, Pizza,and Vegetarian choices looked astounding), Tequila tastings from six major purveyors of fine spirits and NXT wrestling. The balance between fun for families and grown folks was strong, and a real testament to why this fest has been able to last so long and get better every year.
If you weren’t totally destroyed by Saturday’s overload of the senses, Sunday also had a list of great bands to see and hear and fun things to. Early in the day two more killer bands helped set things off in the always fun Dance Gavin Dance and the surprising Pink Slips. The Pinks Slips are a band you need to check out as we expect to see them higher up on the bill on fests like this for years to come. After checking out issues, it was time to see Sevendust rip up the East Stage. They are a live band like few others and they played a short, yet heartfelt set.
All Time Low and Yelawolf really set the stage for later in the day. Stone Temple Pilots led by Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) for what would turn out to be one of the last full show for them together, played all the hits to huge crowd response. Fan may be conflicted about Chester’s time in the band, but he did justice to the history of that band
Coheed and Cambria was next, playing behind their new record, and they leaned heavy on new songs. Despite the festival and the over atmosphere of the place, it didn’t seem like their crowd was in the house. Or maybe they were waiting on Jane’s Addiction to hit the stage. Jane’s, like STP knows the fans want the big hits and that is what they brought. Perry Ferrell and Dave Navarro, despite their many public scraps, seem just made for each other as poet/conduit and axe-slinger duos go.
Defotnes were the next to last act of the weekend and true hometown heroes as they are right from Sacto. The band put on a great show with front man Chino Moreno running all over the stage and moving his body as much as his silky, elastic vocal range. With a new album coming in 2016, it would seem this band is destined to headline a future Aftershock fest. Bringing the epic weekend to a close, Faith No More brought the botanical theme of their recent Sol Invictus (Reclamation/Ipecac) tour with them. Playing the massive hits such as ‘Be Aggressive’, ‘Epic’, ‘Midlife Crisis’ and ‘Easy’, sprinkled among new songs and deep cuts, the band showed why their reunion so worthy needed and the accolades so deserved. Until next time Aftershock, well be back!
Slide show photos by Meg Loyal Photography
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Yet another entry into the “can’t miss American festivals” is the Monster Energy Drink Aftershock. Taking place in Sacramento California, the awesome NorCal weather, coupled with the proximity to San Francisco makes this fest awesome. The scenic Gibson Ranch is the place to be right now. In addition to some amazing bands, there are things like Slipknot’s Haunted Scream Park and NXT Wrestling events to drink in when you are done rocking out!
Saturday’s lineup boasts a top of the bill of Slipknot, Shinedown and Marilyn Manson which few other events can even match this year. Following them are Breaking Benjamin, Seether and Bring Me The Horizon, Black Veil Brides, Clutch, Hollywood Undead, Suicidal Tendencies, POD, Pop Evil, All That Remains, Helmet, Snot, Beartooth, September Mourning and many more.
Sunday has none other than Faith No More, continuing their Sol Invictus (Ipecac/Reclamation) tour cycle. Sunday has other stalwart 90s bands such as Deftones, Jane’s Addiction and Stone Temple Pilots. Other top Sunday bands on the bill include Coheed And Cambria, All Time Low, Death From Above 1979, Eagles of Death Metal, Sleeping With Sirens, Yelawolf, Failure, Glasjaw, Sevendust, Issues, The Sword, `68, Red Fang and many more.
You can still get tickets for Aftershock here.
Slipknot, one of the headline acts for Monster Energy Aftershock Festival have paired up to present Slipknot ‘s Scream Park for the Monster Energy Aftershock Pre-Party on Friday, October 23 from 7 p.m. to midnight in Sacramento, California. The pre-party concert and food truck event will be headlined by Hell Or Highwater, with more bands to be announced. Hell Or Highwater has also been added to the festival proper, performing on Saturday, October 24.
Slipknot ‘s Corey Taylor and M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan have partnered with Sacramento-based Scream Park California to produce an event that explores a whole new, intensely visceral world of horror, as only Slipknot can provide. Slipknot ‘s Scream Park features three haunted houses and live horror entertainment. Slipknot ‘s Scream Park will also have an onsite presence at Monster Energy Aftershock on October 24 and 25.
A limited number of guests can gain admission to the Monster Energy Aftershock Pre-Party by showing proof of purchase of an Aftershock ticket. This will allow free access to the Aftershock Pre-Party, which will include live music and food trucks. On the Pre-Party night guests will be able to go through the haunted houses at Slipknot ‘s Scream Park for a discounted price of $15. More details will be available soon about music performances at the Pre-Party and how to obtain free Pre-Party admission, as space will be limited. You can view the trailer for the Scream Park at this link or below:
Slipknot ‘s Scream Park is also offering an Aftershock Scream Park Bundle for $119.50. This package includes one 2-day General Admission weekend ticket to Monster Energy Aftershock and one Scream Park General Admission ticket (a $25 savings). Purchase your combo tickets for both Slipknot ‘s Scream Park and Monster Energy Aftershock Festival at link text or www.Slipknot screampark.com.
Slipknot ’s Scream Park is located at 4909 Auburn Blvd. in Sacramento, California.
Monster Energy Aftershock Festival already boasts an incredible music lineup with four stages and countless attractions such as live, in-ring matches with WWE’s NXT Superstars beyond music for entertainment. Bands appearing in addition to Slipknot are Faith No More, Deftones, Shinedown, Jane’s Addiction, Marilyn Manson, Coheed & Cambria, Stone Temple Pilots, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Bring Me The Horizon, All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens, Eagles Of Death Metal, Black Veil Brides, and many more.
Another year has arrived for the Vans Warped Tour full of anticipation and excitement to hit the summertime across North America. This year’s edition maintains their tradition of youth oriented angst filled music (or whatever the kids call it these days) and carving a path for the next batch of rising stars on the scene. Thanks to photographer Kevin Estrada for shooting these two dates of Warped tour for Ghost Cult!
The main stages (Shark and Unicorn) showcased the main attractions on the tour, ranging from the pop punk acts (The Wonder Years) to the screamo/emo (Pierce The Veil, Blessthefall) to the crossover half melodic and half aggro (We Came As Romans) to the harder sounding (August Burns Red) managed to keep the kids bouncing around in the crowd and rarely laying low.
August Burns Red, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
Tour veterans Motion City Soundtrack made their brief California run appearance, showing the crowd how things are done on this tour. Metro Station (featuring Trace Cyrus, son of country performer Billy Ray Cyrus), melodic punk act Man Overboard, and hardcore outfit Fit For A King all set the pace for the day with their respective sounds while keeping the crowd engaged.
Atilla, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
The main acts on these stages won over the crowd throughout the day. Memphis May Fire got the crowd into a high with their half heavy yet melodic styling that struck a nerve with them; Attila, led by their enigmatic frontman Chris “Fronz” Fronzak and his guitar crunching yet Eninem-esque “meth” suit bouncing along with the crowd; Black Veil Brides and their legions of die hard fan base singing along to every word; and Miss May I and their modern metallic sound that got the crowd worked up later on in the day.
The Amity Affliction, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
While the main stage had their moments going on, there were a number of side stage acts making noise of their own. The Monster Stage housed their own brand of chaos throughout the day, as Senses Fail, Being As An Ocean, Beartooth, Mallory Knox and The Amity Affliction all got the pit crew throwing down alongside each band and rarely letting down. The harder driving acts such as hardcore outfit Hundredth had the pit kids going in effect, while veteran Canadian post hardcore act Silverstein had their mix of longtime fans as well as newbies who both showed their appreciation for the band. Australian metallic hardcore outfit I Killed The Prom Queen appeared to be bass player less, but that didn’t stop them from bringing out their At The Gates meets hardcore stomp to these fans. British metalcore act While She Sleeps briefly were down a singer (ie visa problems kept frontman Lawrence Taylor making a late start on the tour) but friends pitched in to lend a helping hand and fans didn’t even notice. Plus Escape The Fate closed out the evening with their eclectic brand of punk meets screamo meets modern metal that got the late comers their last bit of a sweat.
Neck Deep, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
On the other stages, indie hip hop acts MC Lars gave a lesson in nerdcore with rhymes about video games and Game of Thrones (ie his latest single “Dragon Blood), while Kosha Dillz brought out his East Coast blend of Spanish, English and Hebrew rhymes; and electro-DJ-performance duo mystery men Drama Club put on an interesting performance that combined part Blue Man Group-esque percussive moments with part electronica meets EDM moments and spontaneous bursts of energy that kept the interested crowd on its feet.
Pvris, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
The Journeys Stages found Juliette Sims and Night Riots wowing the crowd with their high energy sets, while hotly tipped electro pop outfit PVRIS became one of the much talked about acts on the tour and their set did not disappoint. Hip hop act Riff Raff put on quite the entertaining show on this stage, with his colorful summertime dress and animated raps to get the crowd bouncing along.
New York alternative rockers The Karma Killers stood out amongst the vast number of acts performing on the Ernie Ball Stage, with their fresh take on classic pop-punk, rock, and alternative rock with an energetic stage show. While they are newly signed to Island/Def Jam and new to the scene, they showed that they could one day end up on one of the larger stages in the new future.
The Acoustic Basement easily became an area largely for shade against the sun, but while most of the acts attracted stragglers throughout the day, Canadian singer-songwriter Saywecanfly and Brian Marquis were two of the acts who attracted a decent sized crowd throughout the day. Saywecanfly attracted a packed tent and entertained the audience with his emotion filled lyrics that got his largely female audience awaiting with anticipation.
Overall, this year’s edition featured a good mix of repeat acts moving up to larger stages, as well as a number of fresh faces to the scene. It is a positive sign to see new acts on the rise at a time when the music industry is struggling to attract new acts to the public. Hopefully someone is paying attention to this tour to see that there is a new generation of artists on the rise.
Set it Off, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
Tat, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
We Came As Romans, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
Miss May I, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
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WORDS BY REI NISHIMOTO
PHOTOS BY KEVIN ESTRADA