Last year, UK metalcore masters Architects showed a new side of their souls with their ninth album For Those That Wish To Exist (Epitaph Records). Now with their performance at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, each song shines in its full potential for a historic mark in the band’s career.
The temperature was almost in the single digits last Saturday evening when Dark Tranquility brought their Moment tour to Detroit’s northern suburbs. The poorly plowed roads and the negative degree wind chill did not deter Michigan metalheads from witnessing the trailblazers of Gothenburg’s Melodic Death Metal Scene. Everyone briskly trotted into Pontiac’s acclaimed music hall to catch the two opening acts of the evening. Nailed to Obscurity and Kataklysm were invited along on this tour which made for a deliciously stacked bill. Built in 1830, the Crofoot building is a historic phenomenon and local treasure. The large building contains three venues in one and is known for catering to heavier bands. This prized entertainment complex was a fair choice for a night of big, blistering, music.
It was a clear and cold night on a wintery Sunday in Detroit, Michigan when Death Metallars, Inhuman Condition brought their “Tourantula” 2022 Tour to town. They arrived at a local’s favorite live music joint, The Sanctuary, along with Midwest’s own Micawber and Crusadist. The quaint-sized venue was the perfect fit for the fans to experience an intimate and enjoyable encounter with these Death Metal experts. Cozied up in the small town of Hamtramck, The Sanctuary caters particularly well to the heavy. With concert spots like this, plus the local acts that opened the evening, Nethergate and Centenary, showed us that the metal scene in Michigan is alive and well.
It was a cold, rainy evening last Sunday in Motor City, but that didn’t damper the spirits of those attending the metal show happening at The Sanctuary. Residing in the humble hamlet of Hamtramck, next to Detroit, this music venue is the pulse of the heavy scene for the whole city. Many gathered in the quaint sized concert hall because the Doom Metal masters, Swallow the Sun were in town. This legendary act of doom ‘n gloom is on the road promoting their new album Moonflowers (Century Media Records). Plus, they brought along Abigail Williams and Wilderun as their supporting acts, making it a night filled with decadent heaviness.
Northeastern Indiana may not be the first area that would come to mind when considering a hotspot for art and culture. Yet Fort Wayne’s Clyde Theatre is a state-of-the-art facility that presents and celebrates some of the world’s greatest artists. Originally a movie house from the fifties, this recently renovated theatre carries a vibrant vintage vibe making it a local gem to the surrounding area. The place was lit with life last Sunday evening when hundreds of metal lovers swarmed through the venue’s historic doors. The French Extreme Metal act, Gojira was in town. These modern metallers have been on US soil for the last couple of months promoting their new album, Fortitude (Roadrunner Records, read our review here), which came out this past Spring. Fort Wayne was their third to last stop on this run, yet they made it clear they would be back state-side very soon. Over the last few years, Gojira is a group that has heated things up for the scene. They brought two new budding bands on tour to complement their fire. Alien Weaponry and Knocked Loose have their own high temperatures to give off, which ignited an evening of feverish and fantastic excitement. Continue reading
Entering DTE Energy Music Theatre was like walking into a theme park. There is a reason why it was rated first in the world for Pollstar’s 2019 year’s end rankings. Last weekend an army of black shirts with dyed hair walked through the outdoor amphitheater’s large gates. The late afternoon was pregnant with the infancy of Autumn which carried a refreshing crispness in the air. The tingly weather placed the multitude of concert goers in a rambunctious mood. The well-groomed music venue is accompanied with exceptional landscaping and pretty restaurants that set a peaceful tone which would be greatly contradicted with the night of mayhem ahead. Slipknot was in town, and they brought the Knotfest Roadshow with them.
Well what does one do when deciding to call a new town home. If you’re anything like me you wanna hit up a live show asap. I just recently moved to West Palm Beach FL. After being here for about a week it was time to hit up a big show. I’ve already been to a couple spots around town to get some of the local flavor and I’m telling you this is a killer place for live music. But, I was ready to bask in the glory of a full on production. So, I looked up some different shows in the area before realizing that I actually now live about 15 min. from iThink Amphitheatre. I really dig the place. It’s almost exactly the same as Tinley Park up by Chicago (my old haunt) I mean like almost exactly. Feeling quite at home I was ready to catch the show, the line-up consisted of Korn, Staind, and ’68. It was so nice to be outside at a huge venue like this, people everywhere having an awesome time. I had almost forgotten how awesome the experience really can be to us music lovers. First up was ’68 and of course I was a little late so I walked in about half-way through their set. Totally my bad, because I shoulda been there for the whole thing. I really dig ’68 they are like a blues hardcore band if you will. Very entertaining with a style all their own.
After a year and change of no live shows, every single band on the planet has got to adapt themselves into the world of live streaming. The few live stream concerts I’ve seen have portrayed each band’s unique style and vision, but none as bizarre as The Melvins’ Volume 3: Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! which aired last Saturday, May 1st. The complete show is exactly what you would expect from this legendary band. The live stream started with acoustic versions of ‘Dark Brown Teeth’, a King Buzzo cover, and ‘Up The Dumper’. The most interesting and funny aspect of this particular live stream is that it felt like you were hanging out with the band in between songs. Each transition from song to song had a small interview that started with the whole band, then with Buzz Osborne, followed by Steven McDonald, and finishing with Dale Crover. Each interview featured hilarious stories of the band and their lives that covered the usage of masks to, of course, weed. The overall performance of the band was superb with a sound the sound quality you would expect from a band like The Melvins and the visuals were in the more psychedelic side that went along well with each of the played tracks. Overall this was a fun and refreshing way of conducting a live stream event and one that only sets up for the upcoming return of live shows.Continue reading
The last live show I attended was on February 22nd, 2020 watching Opeth at the Apollo Theater in New York City. It was a magical night, but little did I know that was going to be the last live music I was going to be watching perform in a year. I miss live shows, as I’m sure every single one of you does as well and I was particularly reminded of this since the beginning of last week. Having said that, when The Ocean Collective announced that they were going to play a live stream show of their amazing album Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic (Pelagic Records) in its entirety, I immediately jumped to my feet and said: “I NEED to watch that”, I knew it was going to be magical as everything the German band does.
In a time when the world must take a break from live concerts and events to keep our peers safe, there are few ways for bands to keep their connection with the fans alive. Melodic Death Metal quintet Avatar, however, have found an effective way around that – one in which they not only perform multiple livestreams of full shows but have their fans select the songs they play. Thus, Avatar Ages was born.