Posts Tagged ‘best’

Asking Alexandria Don’t Let Singer’s Torn Vocal Cord Stop New York Gig With As I Lay Dying + More

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour made its stop in New York City on Sunday night (Dec. 9) for a sold-out show at the Best Buy Theater. Headliners  Asking Alexandria  set fans into a frenzy, as did  As I Lay Dying , Memphis May Fire, I See Stars and Attila. The night was bittersweet. As much as fans enjoyed the performance of the bands, there was also a wistful vibe throughout the night as many fans remembered frontman Mitch Lucker of Suicide Silence, who were supposed to be on the tour’s lineup before the untimely death of their vocalist. The night kicked off with a decent set by party metal band Attila, followed by I See Stars, who got fans bouncing and brought on the first Wall of Death of the night. Memphis May Fire were up next and delivered an intense performance. One of the best sets of the night went to As I Lay Dying, who ripped the place apart with massive pits, a heap of crowd surfers and the night’s second Wall of Death. The main act of the night, Asking Alexandria, kicked off their set but without frontman Danny Worsnop, but fans, who were a tad confused, still sang along. Eventually, Worsnop came out onstage to screaming fans and explained that he tore his vocal cord and wouldn’t be able to perform, but that his buds from I See Stars and Attila would take over the vocal duties. The band also got help from a multitalented roadie, who was busy setting up the equipment and taping down wires before they began, but graced the stage and tore it up on a few Asking Alexandria songs. However, it was the fans who really took over the vocal duties and belted out all of the words to all of the songs they performed. The most poignant moment of the set was the band dedicating their track ‘Someone, Somewhere’ to Mitch Lucker. The tune was sung by Us, From Outside vocalist Kenny Davis. When Asking Alexandria left the stage, the Suicide Silence classic ‘You Only Live Once’ played in honor of Lucker. Fans remembered him in the best way possible with massive pits, some serious crowd surfing and by singing the song word for word. Danny Worsnop did come out for the encore to perform the fan favorite ‘The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel).’ Worsnop and a bunch of his buddies destroyed the stage. As he invited fans up onstage with him, security couldn’t keep up with the swarm of crowd surfers. Check out all these bands on the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour; go here for the remaining dates. See photos of the NYC gig below: Asking Alexandria: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire As I Lay Dying: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Memphis May Fire: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire I See Stars: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Attila: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire

Hinder, ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ – Album Review

Universal Republic Records Hinder exploded upon the scene with their 2005 debut ‘Extreme Behavior,’ which sold over 3 million copies and spawned five singles that landed on the rock charts including the massive hit ‘Lips of an Angel.’ Their following two albums also did well and had top 10 rock singles, and now the Oklahoma band returns with their fourth effort, ‘Welcome to the Freakshow.’ That title is somewhat misleading, suggesting an album filled with wild and crazy upbeat songs. There are a couple of those, but ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ is very ballad-heavy. It’s also the most diverse Hinder album to-date. You’ve likely heard the opening track ‘Save Me’ on the radio. It’s up-tempo and packed with hooks. It’s a great opener, and one with a lot of meaning for frontman Austin Winkler. ?”?I had just gotten out of rehab for drugs and alcohol and I revisited the song,?” ?he says.? “?To me,? ?it felt like I didn’t need anything negative like drugs.? ?Those aren’t going to save me.? ?I can save myself though.?” ?‘Ladies Come First’ is not quite as deep. It’s vintage Hinder, a good-time track that’s heavy, but also melodic and extremely catchy with racy (some would say dirty) lyrics. The title track is also edgy and aggressive, with Winkler’s trademark raspy vocals and a nice guitar solo from Joe Garvey. ?The middle section of the album doesn’t measure up to the first few songs. There are a couple generic ballads and the poppy ‘Is It Just Me’ that has some clever hooks but not much depth. Hinder does rebound during the last part of the album with a couple of standouts. ?‘See You In Hell’ references late great celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin, has a call-and-response chorus and is destined to become a staple at live shows. ‘Anyone Like You’ is another ballad, but it has a country flavor, making it more distinctive and less slickly produced than the rest of the ballads on the album. ?The closer ‘Wanna Be Rich’ has a lot of electronic elements and is downright dancy in spots. In some parts of the song the electronic influence is subtle enough to co-exist with the band’s guitar driven style, but other times it takes over and sounds out of place. ?There are songs on ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ that are among the best Hinder has ever done. But there are also some misfires and filler that detracts from the overall quality of the release. Hinder are at their best when they showcase their own distinctive sound, and too often on this album the song quality is there, but their identity is obscured.

Stone Sour Debut ‘Gone Sovereign’ Video

Roadrunner Records As anticipation builds for the Oct. 22 release of  Stone Sour ‘s fourth album ‘ House of Gold & Bones Part 1 ,’ the band has released the video for ‘Gone Sovereign.’ P.R. Brown, who has worked on several previous Stone Sour and Slipknot videos, directed ‘Gone Sovereign.’ The performance clip begins with the band tightly grouped around Roy Mayorga’s drum kit, then once the song kicks in, the shot widens to reveal they are in a club playing for frenzied fans. The second half of the two part concept album is due next year. Singer Corey Taylor is also creating a comic book to go along with the ‘House of Gold & Bones’ albums. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” says Taylor. “I’ve always been very critical of when comics go south and basically pull the fan out of what the potential is. It’s me pretty much putting my money where my mouth is.” He is scheduled to be at New York’s Comic Con this weekend to promote the comic. Stone Sour are set to embark on a world tour at the end of this month. It will take them to Japan, South America, Europe and Australia. “It’s gonna be awesome to bring the ‘House of Gold and Bones’ to the fans live,” Taylor says. “We’re all psyched to come to Japan and South America right away as well- they’re some of the best fans in the world! We gave people a taste of Part One, now we’re gonna bring them the best Stone Sour show they’ve ever seen. Get ready: it begins soon…” [button href=”http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/10/11/stone-sour-gone-sovereign-video/” title=”Watch Stone Sour’s ‘Gone Sovereign’ Video at Noisecreep” align=”center”]

Down Bring ‘Purple’ Passion to New York City With Stellar Performance

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire After Metal Masters 4 in New York, Phil Anselmo was back in the ‘Big Apple’ for an ass-kicking show with Down at the Best Buy Theater Friday night (Sept. 28). Support for the standout show included Saint Vitus, haarp and Warbeast . As the crowd started multiple “Down” chants, the band graced the stage and kicked off their performance with ‘Eyes South.’ They also went on to play a few new tracks from their latest disc ‘ Down IV Part I – The Purple EP ’ such as their single ‘Witchtripper,’ ‘Misfortune Teller’ and ‘Open Coffins.’ The crowd unleashed as they performed fan favorites like ‘Temptation’s Wings,’ ‘Lifer,’ ‘Ghosts Along the Mississippi,’ ‘Stone the Crow,’ and ‘Bury Me in Smoke’ among numerous others. Frontman Phil Anselmo exuded passion and vigor onstage as he looked fans eye-to-eye, transfixing their attention every step of the way. The force of the band onstage is a powerful one with the hard-hitting riffs of Pepper Keenan and Kirk Weinstein along with the deep bass lines of Pat Bruders and the thunderous percussion of Jimmy Bower behind the skins. Not to mention the chemistry between all of the members of Down onstage is infectious to say the least. Another band who was welcomed warmly by the East Coast crowd was Saint Vitus, who gave one hell of a performance as fans opened up a mosh pit and shook the foundation of the Best Buy Theater. To see metal legends like Saint Vitus onstage was quite a treat and watching lead guitarist Dave Chandler shred it up with his teeth was the cherry on top. Warbeast and haarp, who are part of Anselmo’s label Housecore Records, kicked off the night of metal goodness. To find out where you can catch Down and their tour mates, visit  here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/down-witchtripper-video/” title=”Next: Watch Down’s ‘Witchtripper’ Video” align=”center”] Down: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Saint Vitus: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire

P.O.D. Step Up as Papa Roach Drop Off Grand Rapids Uproar Festival Stop

Despite his best efforts, it looks as though Papa Roach singer Jacoby Shaddix‘s vocal issues are ongoing. P.O.D. revealed the news in a tweet, explaining that they were asked to step up to the main stage Tuesday night (Aug. 21) to make up for Papa Roach’s absence. ? They tweeted, “Headed to Grand Rapids. Papa Roach dropped off today’s show so we’re covering their slot last minute. Prayers 4 Jacoby

Favorite Metallica Single – Readers Poll

We at Loudwire would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to James Hetfield today (Aug. 3). The Metallica frontman has spent a total of 49 years on this Earth, with 31 of them having been a member of Metallica. Some of Metallica’s achievements include nine Grammy Awards, becoming the first band to ever have five consecutive albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, releasing the best-selling album