Bloodstock Open Air (BOA) 2022 is almost upon us. Kicking off on Thursday the 11th of August, this most metal of all festivals runs until Sunday the 14th, damaging necks, air guitar strings, and bank accounts along the way. After Covid put paid to the 2020 festival, an admirably safety-conscious BOA returned with a five day bang last year! (read our review of BOA 2021 review here), selling out weekend passes well in advance and things promise to be just as busy this time.
Whenever an established act loses its frontman, especially one as talismanic as Max Cavalera, fans are usually left choosing sides. Do you go with the musician striking out on their own or do your allegiances remain with the band? Largely dependent on the situation, an amicable split can leave listeners happily following both parties down separate paths to the promise of glory but when open hostility is at the heart of the separation, loyalties are often put to the test.Continue reading
I took a ride over to the Gramercy Theater in NYC to catch the Brothers In Arms tour featuring Drowning Pool and Ill Niño with support from HED.PE and Evolution Empire. While I have been long time fan of Drowning pool, this was my first time seeing them and any of the bands on this bill.
Louder Than Life Festival has announced its lineup for 2022, seeking to top the epic edition in 2021. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot and KISS will headline the festival of 100 artists over 4 days! Joining them will be Rob Zombie, Bring Me The Horizon, Alice In Chains (And A Separate Set From Jerry Cantrell), Alice Cooper, Incubus, Evanescence, Lamb Of God, Tenacious D, Yungblud, Chevelle, Papa Roach, Halestorm, Mastodon, In This Moment, The Pretty Reckless and many more! Taking place from September 21st – 25th 2022, the fest takes place at The Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center Passes are on sale now for $10 down (through March 31) at the link below. Continue reading
Massive music festivals are commonplace now, but they were far and few between fifty years ago. They are hard to produce well, but can be great moments in time for fans and musical artists. For every Lollapalooza, Wacken, and Ozzfest, we have Altamont, Woodstock 1999, and Fyre Fest as well. No festival sets out to fail or do harm and hurt the trust of fans, but sometimes that happens. Blue Ridge Rock Fest, as it turns out, became a perfect storm of too many fans, too small a town, to support those fans. Purpose Driven events had put on severa
Quickly shaping up to be the biggest music festival in the USA this year, Blue Ridge Rock festival has announced their full line-up of 180 bands. Headlining the massive 4 day festival are Five Finger Death Punch, Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, and Limp Bizkit. There is a special club warm up show which includes headliner Ludacris, T-Pain, and Lil Jon. Also on tap: the Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow Revue, a vaudeville freak show of wonder by Hellzapoppin’s Ringleader and Producer, Mr. Bryce “The Govna” Graves. In addition, excitingly, the festival will be hosted by Steve-O (MTV’s Jackass); and special guest Lou Brutus (SiriusXM). The fest takes place September 9th – 12th at Blue Ridge Amphitheater, a long-awaited large-scale concert venue in Southwest Virginia. Tickets are on sale now at the link below and here is the full lineup:
Former Ill Niño members Cristian Machado (vocals), Ahrue “Luster” Ilustre (guitar), and Diego Verduzco (guitar) have launched a new band called Lions At The Gate. The group’s lineup is completed by bassist Stephen Brewer (Westfield Massacre) and drummer Fern Lemus. Their debut single, “Not Even Human”, arrives this week, on Friday, June 4. A teaser for the track is available below. The band has completed their debut album as well, with more news and tour dates to come soon. Continue reading
Yesterday we brought you the news that Ill Niño had split from three fo their core members, with only Dave Chavarri and Laz Pina. In a message to Blabbermouth, Vocalist Cristian Machado, lead guitarist Ahrue Luster (ex-Machine Head), and rhythm guitarist Diego Verduzco have dismissed reports that they have left Ill Niño and have vowed to continue with their own version of the band, with details to be revealed soon.Continue reading
Long-running Latin-influenced Nu Metal band Ill Niño is back! The band has announced a radical lineup change with some mainstay members departing and new blood coming in. The new members include Shattered Sun vocalist Marcos Leal, rhythm guitarist Sal Dominguez, formerly of Upon A Burning Body, and Sons of Texas’ Jess Dehoyos on lead guitar. Hear their new single, their first in five years, ‘Sangre’, right now! Continue reading
Before you listen to Terror Universal’s Make Them Bleed (Minus Head) make sure to take a good look at the album for a minute or two. Approach this experiment as a Heavy Metal Rorschach test. What do you see? How does it make you feel? I see four blokes that look like they walked off the set of Max Landis’ latest “masterwork” Bright. Then I hopped on the Wayback Machine and was transported to the wild west that was the nu-metal years. Continue reading