Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire On Jan. 30, 2013, history was made for the Swedish hard rock band, Avatar . Filling the basement of New York City’s Webster Hall, known as The Studio, Avatar played their first show on US soil since their inception in 2001. Playing a 10-song set, the guys from Sweden set the bar high for their upcoming tour with Sevendust and Lacuna Coil , which kicks off on Feb. 1 in Greenville, S.C. Being their first show in the States, most in attendance weren’t quite sure what to expect. As lead singer Johannes Eckerström came out onstage in a full-leather outfit, including a leather hood, Avatar tore into ‘Let Us Die’ from their latest album, ‘Black Waltz.’ The bar was set for the rest of the night. Blistering rock pummeled The Studio at Webster Hall as Avatar ripped through song after song, leaving no time for anyone to catch their breath. The highlight of the night came with the final song in the set, ‘Smells Like a Freak Show.’ With the video debuting recently on Loudwire , it was easy to see the band was excited to unveil the tune on U.S. soil. The energy onstage bled through to the crowd as fans were singing along and banging their heads to the infectious rhythm. If Avatar’s debut in America is any sign of what’s to come, don’t miss your chance to see the Swedish rockers opening for Sevendust and Lacuna Coil. You won’t be disappointed. Avatar’s latest album, ‘Black Waltz,’ is currently available at iTunes . Avatar Jan. 30, 2012 New York, N.Y. Set List: ‘Let Us Die’ ‘Dying to See You Die’ ‘Torn Apart’ ‘Let It Burn’ ‘Black Waltz’ ‘Napalm’ ‘Paint Me Red’ ‘Ready For the Ride’ ‘Smells Like a Freak Show’ Photos of Avatar at The Studio at Webster Hall Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire
Loudwire Rock Bowl Semifinals And then there were four! That’s right, after beginning with 16 rocking tracks that represented the spirit of football, the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl has four football-ready songs still standing. Metallica ‘s hard-hitting classic ‘Seek and Destroy’ advances to face Avenged Sevenfold and their inspirational track ‘Seize the Day. Meanwhile, in the other half of the bracket, Pantera ‘s thrashy ‘F—ing Hostile’ survived and advanced to meet up with the equally brutal ‘Wait and Bleed’ from Slipknot . Which of the remaining four acts have the best football anthem? That’s for you to decide. You can vote for your favorites in the semifinals between now and this Friday (Feb. 1) at 10AM ET to see who will advance to face each other in the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl championship round. And remember, voting is allowed once per hour, so vote now and vote often to see your favorite football anthem advance. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metallica-vs-avenged-sevenfold-2013-loudwire-rock-bowl-semifinals/” title=”Start Voting in the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl Semifinals” align=”center”]
Nuclear Blast / Metal Blade New York death metal icons Suffocation have been decimating every opponent daring enough to take them on in Loudwire’s series of Death Matches. Suffocation need only one more win for the track ‘As Grace Descends’ to be inducted into our Death Match Hall of Fame. The band has beaten out some of the world’s heaviest bands, but we’re giving them perhaps the most legendary, innovative and most importantly, brutal death metal band the world has to offer. Cannibal Corpse released their 12th studio album, ‘Torture,’ last year to much acclaim from the band’s devoted fanatics. In 2013, however, Cannibal Corpse are set to unleash the ‘Dead Human Collection: 25 Years of Death Metal’ box set, containing every record in Corpse’s discography. The all-inclusive box set ( available here for pre-order ) will be released on March 19, and to celebrate, we’re throwing the ‘Torture’ song ‘Demented Aggression’ into this week’s Death Match. Can Suffocation secure their spot as Death Match Hall of Famers? Or will Cannibal Corpse eat their way toward their own Hall of Fame trek? The decision is yours. Vote for your favorite song in the poll below! (This Death Match ends on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 10AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Suffocation, ‘As Grace Descends’ Cannibal Corpse, ‘Demented Aggression’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. Email Me When Death Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the weekly winner of the Death Match, as well as our top stories of each day. Email Rules of Death Match Two bands fight to the death each week. Fans can vote once per hour. The triumphant band goes on to compete in the next Death Match. If a band wins four straight Death Matches, its song will be honored as immortal in the Loudwire Death Match Hall of Fame.
Michael Buckner, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – In our exclusive interview with Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx , the icon tells us about the new creative direction he’s taking with his new Schecter Sixx signature bass. [ Loudwire ] – Tool guitarist Adam Jones proposed to his girlfriend live in front of the WWE ‘Royal Rumble’ audience. Watch the footage of Jones’ proposal here. [ Loudwire ] – Tour dates and cities for the 2013 Mayhem Festival have been announced. Check them out here. [ Loudwire ] – Jason Newsted on new band dynamics, besting Justin Bieber on iTunes + tour plans. [ Loudwire ] – Bryan Carlstrom, engineer for Alice in Chains , the Offspring and many more bands, has died at the age of 51. Rest in peace. [ Loudwire ] – Don’t forget to vote in the Loudwire Rock Bowl. Pick your favorite songs in the Quarterfinals here. [ Loudwire ] – Iron Maiden expose the hidden danger of onstage pie fights! [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Beatles icon Paul McCartney takes very good care of his sheep. Don’t believe us? See for yourself here. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Punk rock legends Black Flag announce new album and U.S. tour. [ Diffuser.fm ]
2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl Quarterfinals Disturbed against Avenged Sevenfold may be the toughest battle of the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl quarterfinals, as both bands won decisively against their opening round competition. Disturbed’s ‘Indestructible’ proved to be exactly that when facing off against Trapt’s determination anthem, ‘Headstrong.’ Recording just under three quarters (72 percent) of the total vote, Disturbed emerged victorious. And as we move forward, there’s little doubt that ‘Indestructible’ makes for a great football anthem, with David Draiman singing about “carrying the colors” and defending an oath. But do they have what it takes to be the “master of war” over Avenged Sevenfold? ‘Seize the Day’ is a pretty powerful message, so it’s no wonder their fans seized control of the voting fairly early on to distance themselves from Shinedown’s ‘Devour.’ The band received just shy of 64 percent of the final vote to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl. Will Avenged Sevenfold’s fans continue to “seize the day” and help the band advance to the semifinals? This should definitely be a tight matchup, so every vote counts. Make your voice heard by voting in the poll below. Then click the red button at the bottom of this post to vote in the next 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl matchup. You have until Wednesday morning (Jan. 30) at 10AM ET to vote for your favorite. Listen to Disturbed’s ‘Indestructible’ Listen to Avenged Sevenfold’s ‘Seize the Day’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/pantera-vs-korn-2013-loudwire-rock-bowl-quarterfinals/” title=”Next Rock Bowl Matchup: Pantera vs. Korn” align=”center”]
Photos: Facebook: Love and Death / Metal Blade Love and Death and their track ‘I W8 4 U’ beat out Avatar in the Cage Match over the weekend but will they be able to do it again versus today’s ghoulish competitors? Ghost enter the matchup with their brand new track ‘Secular Haze’ off of their forthcoming record ‘Infestissumam.’ The new disc is produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones, Death Angel) and will be released by Loma Vista Recordings. Ghost have dozens of tour dates scheduled for 2013, including an appearance at Rock on the Range. For their current itinerary, go here . So, will Ghost scare up a victory with ‘Secular Haze’ or Love and Death earn another win with ‘I W8 4 U’? They are two very different bands with their own unique sound. Listen to both songs and vote for your favorite in the poll below! (This Cage Match will run until Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 8AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Love and Death, ‘I W8 4 U’ Ghost, ‘Secular Haze’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. Email Me When Cage Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the daily winner of the Cage Match, as well as our top stories of the day. Email Rules of Cage Match: Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Black Veil Brides and their Church of the Wild Ones tour make a stop in New York City on a snowy Friday night (Jan. 25) for a sold out show. As the front row was lined with screaming girls, a couple of them even started to cry as Black Veil Brides graced the stage. BVB kicked off their set with ‘I Am Bulletproof’ and performed other new songs from their latest album, ‘Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones,’ including ‘Overture,’ ‘Shadows Die,’ ‘Nobody’s Hero’ and the title track ‘Wretched and Divine.’ In addition, the BVB Army sang loudly to favorite tracks ‘Knives and Pens,’ ‘All Your Hate,’ ‘Perfect Weapon,’ ‘The Legacy’ and ‘Fallen Angels,’ among numerous others. The band’s set came to an end with an encore consisting of their current single ‘In the End.’ William Control , who offers the voice of F.E.A.R. on the new Black Veils record, donned a wicked pompadour as he served as support. He got fans bouncing with his electronic rock vibe, not to mention some serious mic swinging skills. New York City natives Wildstreet opened up the show with a solid performance and warmed things up the for frigid fans who waited hours on line just to be front and center. For a full list of dates where you can catch Black Veil Brides on tour, go here . Check Out Photos of Black Veil Brides, William Control and Wildstreet in NYC: Black Veil Brides: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire William Control: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Wildstreet: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire