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John and I told them we would come by and check out their set, to which they replied: “Please do! We’re playing at the same time as Sevendust, so we don’t know how many people are going to show up…”
]]>I know that in order to arrive at a large music festival at a reasonable time, you have to (much like catching an airplane) leave at least 2-3 hours of cushion time to make sure you can navigate all of the logistical problems that will be thrown in your path, regardless of how well you think you have planned for every contingency.
So by the time John and I were a mile and a half from the Blue Ridge Amphitheater, traffic had effectively come to a standstill. We didn’t know it at the time, but we would move at a sedated snails pace due to the fact there were only a handful of two-lane country roads that led to the entrance of the festival, and it would be 7 pm before we would even be on the festival grounds. And when I say on the festival grounds, I mean feet-on-earth-standing-near-a-stage-hearing-a-band-perform. We were at the actual festival grounds a little before 6 pm, but found ourselves beset by multiple security personnel who didn’t know where fan parking, camp sites, or shuttle service was, let alone the ultra niche real estate we sought which was known as “Press Parking”. We were given multiple incorrect directions which ultimately led to us to security guard after security guard pointing us in yet another wrong direction. We ended up adjacent to a campground about a half mile from the back stage loading area and I am positive that was not where we were supposed to be. By this time, however, we gave zero fucks. However, given what I learned after we came home from the festival, we were lucky that we found anywhere to park at all.
Multiple reports have alleged that many of the security and shuttle driving staff quit en masse on this first day of the BRRF, leaving the remaining work force scrambling and the festival having to recruit local law enforcement to direct traffic without truly knowing where they were directing traffic to. There have also been several reports that many people who paid for parking and camping sites were turned away because the areas were reportedly full, leaving many to speculate that either the festival was oversold or that many unpaid attendees had snuck in and taken up spaces that they had not paid for. Upon hearing this, I felt like we were lucky to have procured a space at all for the duration of the festival.
So because of my novice miscalculation, we missed Testament, Soulfly and POD on the first day. We also discovered that the press pass tent was already closed, preventing us from covering any of the remaining bands of the day, such as Skillet and Breaking Benjamin. The silver lining to the day after battling all of this confusion and frustration, was that we were able to actually watch the remaining performances, as opposed to covering it, which is something you can neglect to do when you have covered these shows for so long.
The next morning, we made our way to the press pass tent (which happened to double as the band credential tent), where we chatted briefly with one of the days first bands, Someday You’ll Know Us. John and I told them we would come by and check out their set, to which they replied: “Please do! We’re playing at the same time as Sevendust, so we don’t know how many people are going to show up…”
We had seen Sevendust multiple times before at several different festivals, so choosing to be part of an audience to a new band that is eager to be heard, we happily kept our word and watched as they rocked the dusty stage in the toasty midday mountain sun.
(Photos by: John Richardson)
Almost immediately after Someday You'll Know Us' set, D.R.U.G.S. took to the stage next door, playing their first show in a couple of years. Their set exuded an uneven energy, but that should be taken as a compliment. It was apparent that they were a little rusty being back on the stage again, but that gave their playing a bit of a punk rock ethos. They were feeling their way around each other’s movements, trying to get back into a comfortable groove and that uncertainty gave their performance an unpredictable spark that made them shine more than if show was polished.
(Photos by: John Richardson)
Over the course of the next few days of the Blue Ridge Rock Festival, we checked out Clutch tearing through a brief, but energetic set of many of their best tunes.
(Photos by: David Locklear)
Anthrax gave a great 40th anniversary show in which they played most of their biggest songs, starting with their latest album, “For All Kings” and working their way backwards through their extensive catalogue all the way to “Fistful of Metal”. Their stage backdrop was a great collage of their album covers, giving the audience a visual history lesson of the band's peaks and valleys.
(Photos by: David Locklear)
Rob Zombie showed up after sunset and delivered the goods, of course, in his unique style of lights, props, glitter, doom and titties. Halfway through this kinetic set of ball-rattling tunes, many of the women who were hoisted onto their partner's shoulders began doing the time honored tradition of removing their tops and letting everyone enjoy the sight of their boobies. Zombie commented that he loved that they did this without him having to say a word.
"This audience likes a party, I see!" he chuckled.
Roaring through tunes from his most recent release, “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, to the White Zombie classic, “Thunder Kiss ’65”, when you take a ride on his roller coaster, you always get your money’s worth.
(Photos by: David Locklear)
Avatar played a mid-afternoon set, replete with their own brand of kooky rock/metal adorned with Kiss/Marilyn Manson-esque face paint and weirdo yoga poses that resonated with the audience that happily sang along with every chorus and head smashing riff that Avatar had to give.
(Photos by: David Locklear)
Corrosion of Conformity are simply an institution at this point in their career. They recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of their crown jewel album, “Deliverance”, and show now signs of stopping. They ripped through a brief set, but gave more energy in 45 minutes than the Eagles gave in their entire career.
(Photos by: David Locklear)
Suicidal Tendencies were a last minute substitute for Limp Bizkit, who dropped from the bill a few weeks before the BRRF was to open, and for a group of punk surfers who have been doing this for 30+ years without selling out or losing their integrity, their energy hasn’t waned a bit. Also having 17 year old Tye Trujillo (son of Metallica’s bassist, Rob Trujillo) slap the bass probably inspired a bit of that energy, and they happily gave that back to the audience for a late afternoon rock pick-me-up.
(Photos by: David Locklear)
We also caught Body Count play a couple of tunes, where we bumped into COC's Pepper Keenan and Woody Weatherman hanging at the side stage. I resisted the urge to ask for picture, as much as it killed me inside...
(Photos by: John Richardson)
Even though things didn’t go smoothly on that first day, our remaining time at the festival was action packed, with very little time to breathe between sets. And after all, the last thing you want to experience at a music festival is boredom. The Blue Ridge Rock Festival was anything but that.
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David Locklear
The Heavy Mountain Festival has blessed us again with slabs of dirty rock and heavy, rib-cracking heavy metal.
It began last year in Asheville, NC and the fan response was overwhelmingly supportive and positive. The lineup consisted featured Toke, High on Fire and Obituary, demonstrating to everyone that this festival meant business when it comes to heavy music. This year's lineup also proved to be a thick beast of pure rock fury with Texas rockers, Mothership, along with The Skull, Torche, Virginia's Windhand, Pallbearer and legendary NC rockers, Corrosion of Conformity, playing the 25th anniversary (!) of their legendary album, Deliverance.
Mothership blasted off the day's noise with their infectious blend of 70's sex rock and slabs of thick Sabbath riffs giving the crowd the proper beginning to what would be a stellar festival.
Anticipation was high for The Skull as they confidently took to the stage. Featuring a lineup that consists of former members of the Doom forefathers, Trouble, they were an obvious choice to perform at a ball-rattling doom concert called Heavy Mountain.
They played many familiar tunes, opening with fan-favorite "Trapped Inside My Mind". The crowd's enthusiasm was wildly infectious and about halfway through their set, vocalist Eric Wagner said: "You know what? We're going to break out a couple of Trouble tunes, you guys fucking earned it." The roar of joy that shot through the air from the crowd was almost tangible as they ripped into the classics, ---------------- and ------------.
Later, Torche ascended the stage and began belting out their brand of what can be best described as "speedy doom". The sound has the distinct vibe of slow doom riffage, but when it is blended with drummer Rick Smith's relentless onslaught of rapid fire skin snapping, you can't help but feel as if you're being crushed to death while running at full speed on massive amounts of cocaine. Consider your ass smashed...
The guys and gal in Windhand had to tend to their merch booth for a large part of the festival. Their regular merch guy was knocked out of commission by a cold, but this gave many of the fans a chance to come by and talk to this wonderfully friendly and engaging band.
Windhand slithered their way through a pounding set, with songs like "Grey Garden" and "Old Evil" casting a spell over the audience, leaving them speechless, as if they had just finished listening to disturbing horror film. It could be argued that Windhand's songs are the aural equivalent of a ghost story.
Arkansas natives, Pallbearer, took to the stage and performed their songs with a surprising amount of energetic precision. Most of the audience seemed to be well versed in the band's library of gloomy sounds, with many at the front of the stage singing every song word for word. Pallbearer gave the audience a healthy sampling of their entire discography, including "Devoid of Redemption" and "Fear and Fury", sending most in attendance into a cosmic nod of approval.
Finally, headliners Corrosion of Conformity would bring the longest set of this fantastic festival to a close. 2019 is the 25th anniversary of their album, "Deliverance", which many argue is the Mona Lisa of their extensive catalogue. However, COC didn't do the cliched thing and play the album in its entirety, but instead gave us a healthy dose of its greatest hits, opening with "Mano a Mano" before plowing into "Seven Days" and later, "Albatross". They also gave us a sampling from their latter day classic, "In the Arms of God", with "Stonebreaker" and "Paranoid Opioid".
As the midnight hour began closing in, COC ended their set with "Pearls Before Swine"and left the stage, acting as if they weren't going to play their biggest hit, "Clean My Wounds." No one was fooled. The audience stayed right where they stood, tethered to the ground by the gravity of rock and roll. The band popped back out after a brief respite, and of course delivered a rousing and faithful rendition of "Clean My Wounds".
After the last notes of Heavy Mountain rang out and everyone began to disappear into the night, smiles seemed to shine brightly in everyone's souls. The Heavy Mountain Festival delivered the goods for a second rousing year and it looks to like it will have an awesome and heavy future for all of us to enjoy. \m/
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Click the link below to take the survey to win 2 VIP tickets to a 2021 DWP Festival!
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We talk to Author and Classic Metal Show Co-Host, Chris Akin about his books and his degree in biblical studies.
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All general admission two-day passes are now available for $149.50 + fees.
The 3-day destination music experience will feature a massive lineup of top rock acts performing on four stages, along with a wide variety of food and beverage offerings, and various camping options and amenities, with General Admission, VIP tickets, and camping available for purchase now at https://EpicenterFestival.com.
The daily music lineup for Epicenter is as follows (subject to change):
Friday, May 1: Metallica, Godsmack, Papa Roach, David Lee Roth, Royal Blood, I Prevail, Ghostemane, Ice Nine Kills, The Darkness, Starset, Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front, The Hu, New Years Day, Bones UK, Fire From The Gods, 3Teeth, Nascar Aloe, Joyous Wolf, Killstation, Stitched Up Heart, Hero The Band, The Black Moods
Saturday, May 2: Disturbed, Lynyrd Skynyrd (one of the band’s final appearances ever, as part of their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour), Staind, Chevelle, Cypress Hill, Anthrax, Alter Bridge, Code Orange, Of Mice & Men, Saint Asonia, Jinjer, Crown The Empire, Anti-Flag, City Morgue, The Chats, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Clint Lowery, Brkn Love, Brutus, Toothgrinder, Brass Against, Selfish Things, Zero 9:36, Like Machines
Sunday, May 3: Metallica, Deftones, Volbeat, Gojira, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Hollywood Undead, Hellyeah, Bad Wolves, Sleeping With Sirens, Power Trip, The Amity Affliction, Des Rocs, Goodbye June, Airbourne, Stray From The Path, Plague Vendor, Ego Kill Talent, Higher Power, Skynd, Atomic Guava, and more
Festival entry begins at 11:30 AM each day.
At Epicenter, fans 21+ can enjoy multiple specialty curated beverage experiences. The Boilermaker pop-up will feature Metallica’s Blackened American Whiskey and Enter Night Pilsner, as well as craft cocktails. Varietals from Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards (owned by Maynard James Keenan, co-founder of international recording acts Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer) will be available at the Caduceus Wine Garden, and the Heavy Tiki Bar will provide a shaded tropical oasis filled with killer cocktails.
Camping at Epicenter will let patrons keep the rock ‘n’ roll party going all weekend long, with campgrounds open from Thursday, April 30 through Monday, May 4. All tent and RV campers will have access to showers, portable restrooms, food and drink vendors, charging stations, information, and medical services.
Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway is located at 7301 Bruton Smith Blvd. in Concord, NC, just outside Charlotte, and less than two hours from Raleigh/Durham, Columbia and Greensboro. Visit www.CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com for directions and additional venue information.
For more information on Epicenter, please visit:
Website: https://EpicenterFestival.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpicenterFest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/epicenterfest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicenterfest
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As previously announced, Metallica--recently named the world’s biggest all-time touring act by Pollstar--will exclusively headline all five Danny Wimmer Presents hard rock festivals in 2020 in a unique collaboration unprecedented for any American festival promoter or band. Epicenter is the first performance in this festival series.
“Metallica isn’t just another headliner. When Metallica takes the stage, it’s an event. It’s an experience. That’s the same standard we’ve set for every DWP festival – from the first band to the last band, and everything that happens in between. I can’t wait to bring the biggest band in the world to the biggest rock festivals in America,” says Danny Wimmer, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the largest independent festival producer in the U.S. “Metallica paved this road that we travel. How many artists on the bill at these five festivals first picked up an instrument, or first started a band, because of Metallica?”
Epicenter moves to its new home at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2020. “We’re pleased to announce that Epicenter is moving to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Rock City Campgrounds,” says Danny Wimmer Presents CEO Danny Hayes. “The new location offers plenty of nearby lodging, increased camping, and convenient travel options. The number one request we received from the fans was to move the festival to Charlotte…and we listened.”
The 3-day destination music experience will feature a massive lineup of top rock acts performing on four stages, along with a wide variety of food and beverage offerings, and various camping options and amenities, with General Admission, VIP tickets, and camping available for purchase now at https://EpicenterFestival.com.
The current music lineup for Epicenter is as follows (subject to change):
Friday, May 1: Metallica, Godsmack, Papa Roach, David Lee Roth, Royal Blood, I Prevail, Ghostemane, Ice Nine Kills, The Darkness, Starset, Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front, ??? ??, New Years Day, Bones UK, Fire From The Gods, 3Teeth, NASCAR Aloe, Joyous Wolf, Killstation, Stitched Up Heart, Hero The Band, Through Fire
Saturday, May 2: Disturbed, Lynyrd Skynyrd (one of the band’s final appearances ever, as part of their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour), Staind, Chevelle, Cypress Hill, Anthrax, Alter Bridge, Code Orange, Of Mice & Men, Saint Asonia, Jinjer, Crown The Empire, Anti-Flag, City Morgue, The Chats, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Clint Lowery, Brkn Love, Brutus, Toothgrinder, Brass Against, Selfish Things, Zero 9:36, Like Machines
Sunday, May 3: Metallica, Deftones, Volbeat, Gojira, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Hellyeah, Bad Wolves, Hollywood Undead, Sleeping With Sirens, Power Trip, The Amity Affliction, Des Rocs, Goodbye June, Airbourne, Stray From The Path, Plague Vendor, Ego Kill Talent, Higher Power, Skynd, and more
Festival entry begins at 11:30 AM each day.
At Epicenter, Danny Wimmer Presents is proud to offer a collaboration with Metallica’s Blackened American Whiskey and Enter Night Pilsner. Blackened is a super-premium American whiskey blend, crafted by the late Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and finished in the earth shattering music of Metallica. The finest bourbons, ryes and whiskeys were hand selected to create something revolutionary—finished in black brandy casks and pummeled by sound. Enter Night Pilsner is Metallica’s collaboration with the rock stars of craft brewing, Stone Brewing. Blackened and Enter Night will come together under one roof to offer guests a one-of-kind musical festival experience. The massive Boilermaker pop-up will feature a Blackened & Enter Night Pilsner Boilermaker, as well as craft cocktails and ice-cold Enter Night Pilsner. This exciting collaboration marks the latest in a long line of amplified guest experiences only available through Danny Wimmer Presents music festivals. Learn more at http://BlackenedWhiskey.com.
Current ticket prices for Epicenter are as follows:
A limited number of GA ticket 4-packs will also be available.
Camping at Epicenter will let patrons keep the rock n’ roll party going all weekend long, with campgrounds open from Thursday, April 30 through Monday, May 4. All tent and RV campers will have access to showers, portable restrooms, food and drink vendors, charging stations, information, and medical services.
VIP tickets include dedicated entrance lanes into the venue, access to the VIP hang area, VIP-only viewing area of the two main stages, access to the VIP tent, a commemorative Epicenter VIP-only laminate, and RFID wristband. The VIP tent is a shaded hang space with dedicated premium bars and comfortable furniture, featuring live audio/video streams of the two main stages, air conditioned flushable restrooms, dedicated merch stand for convenient shopping, dedicated food and beverage offerings (for purchase), and private locker rentals (for purchase).
At Epicenter, fans 21+ can enjoy multiple specialty curated beverage experiences. Varietals from Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards (owned by Maynard James Keenan, co-founder of international recording acts Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer) will be available at the Caduceus Wine Garden, and the Heavy Tiki Bar will provide a shaded tropical oasis filled with killer cocktails.
Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway is located at 7301 Bruton Smith Blvd. in Concord, NC, just outside Charlotte, and less than two hours from Raleigh/Durham, Columbia and Greensboro. Visit www.CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com for directions and additional venue information.
For more information on Epicenter, please visit:
Website: https://EpicenterFestival.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpicenterFest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/epicenterfest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicenterfest
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GATECREEPER return with their highly anticipated new album Deserted. The new album, a furious mix of snarling guitars and driving, rhythmic pummeling takes death metal from its 80's Floridian roots and 90's Swedish expansion straight into the here and now. In fact, the vanguard of death metal in 2019 can be found under Arizona’s searing sun. That’s where GATECREEPER members—Chase Mason, guitarist Eric Wagner, bassist Sean Mears, drummer Matt Arrebollo and guitarist Nate Garrett—make their homes.
Of course, the band nodded to their scorching home state with the title of their 2016 full-length debut, Sonoran Depravation. The theme continues on Deserted, whichboasts songs like “Sweltering Madness,” “Boiled Over” and the double-meaning title track.
You can hear the results on “From The Ashes,” a crushing cut primed for the European festival circuit. Over on side two, “Boiled Over” fuses classic BOLT THROWER with the pulverizing power grooves of sludge titans CROWBAR. Album closer “Absence Of Light” upholds GATECREEPER's tradition of finishing their records with a deathly doom dirge.Vocalist, Chase Mason, took a few minutes this week to talk to Heavy-Vinyl interviewer, Noah Anderson, about the upcoming album and Gatecreeper’s creative process.
Heavy-Vinyl: Hey is this Chase?
Chase Mason: Yeah
HV: Hey this is Noah with Heavy-Vinyl.
CM: Hey how are you doing?
HV: Good, How are you? Are we still good to talk at the moment?
CM: Yeah I’m currently in Prague with my other band Spirit Adrift we’re in Europe right now.
HV: Oh wow you’re in Prague, that sounds pretty awesome. How is that going?
CM: It’s going pretty good yeah.
HV: So are you guys doing a whole European run?
CM: Yeah, we’re doing about two weeks worth of shows and we are going to come back right before the Gatecreeper record comes out.
HV: Very cool, yeah I saw your tour starts in October.
CM: Yeah that's right.
HV: Well I have some questions after listening to the new album so we can start by going down the list if that’s alright with you?
CM: Yeah, sure.
HV: Awesome, so like I said I gave the new album a listen and it sounded to me almost like black metal and doom metal mixed with old school thrash. I just wanted to know how you guys got to that sound?
CM: Well, I think for me it’s death metal with a little bit of doom or whatever stuff incorporated in. I think that our influences are pretty apparent you know? Like Obituary and Swedish death metal, I mean the surface level influences are pretty obvious and we don't really shy away from that. We kinda wear it on our sleeve. But our sound has been the same from the beginning of the band. I think for this record we incorporated a couple new elements on it. Yeah there is some black metal stuff on there and we’ve always had some doom parts but I think it’s going to be more apparent on this record.
HV: For sure, I definitely picked up on that.
CM: It’s really just been an evolution of our sound. The ingredients are all the same but in different amounts you know?
HV: Absolutely. I kinda picked up on that when I went through and listened to some of the older stuff and then switched over to the new songs and you could really hear what you guys brought through with the new elements so that was really cool to hear. So how did you guys come to make the new album? What was the process of making that?
CM: Well since this is our second full length album, we were able to write all these songs with the intention of it being a whole record. For our first record, it’s like you start writing songs as a new band and for years you are just writing new songs to write new songs because you are a new band.
HV: Yeah i’m sure you want to get as much out there as you can when you are starting out.
CM: Absolutely. So with this new one it’s like “alright we are writing a new record” We’re not just writing songs to write songs, we’re writing songs as a record.
HV: Yeah for sure.
CM: And we had some goals (with the new record). We looked at our last record and said “what’s not on there that we want? We wanted more guitar leads, I wanted my vocals to be better and more dynamic. We’ve always had memorable riffs and riff focused music and we wanted to kinda continue that but have more catchy song writing. But we didn't want to change too much. What we were doing (on previous releases) works for us. But we did want to incorporate new elements and get better at what we have already done.
HV: I definitely think that came through pretty well on the new tracks.
We talked a little bit about the black metal and doom themes but what would you say are some of the biggest themes throughout the album?
CM: Musically?
HV: Yeah musically or lyrically? Was there anything you guys wanted to really focus in on and kinda drive home on the new album?
CM: I mean musically the themes are like I said, we wanted our guitar lead to have more memorable parts. We wanted it to be a record you want to listen to over and over or even a song that gets stuck in your head that you want to listen to again and again. There are different elements, like some of the fast songs and we have been touring a lot since our last record so we know what works well in a live sense. So some of the songs are like “alright, this is a song that is good on the record, but in a live setting this is really going to pop” you know? And there are some songs where we can look at it from the perspective of “we aren't just writing a record, we are also writing songs to play live on tour. Then there are some songs like the last song ‘Absence of Light’ which is a very doom-y song which we will probably never play live. That’s the other side of it, that was how we wanted to close on the record out. Kind of like a funeral with this doom song at the end.
HV: That was a good way to kind of just wrap it up.
CM: Yeah we know that we probably won't play it live but it's how we wanted to wrap it up and end the record. So we have different little mini themes. There are a couple of different songs that are kind of the same. And also the way we write music, I only sing live but I do write about half of the guitar. Me and the other guitar player Eric wrote the guitar for the record. So some songs are ones that he wrote, some are ones that I wrote, and some are ones that we wrote together.
HV: So do you think it will be noticeable on the record as to who wrote which songs?
CM: I know that I can tell the difference because we have different styles, but I'm not sure if anyone else can really tell. But for me there are songs that are linked together, not in the track listing, but these songs have a similar vibe. We tried to set it up to where those songs are spread apart so that it’s constantly changing. I wanted it to be like a good mixtape where every other song is different. At least when I make a playlist that has things like metal, punk and rap I want them to be spread out so it’s not two metal songs in a row or anything like that.
HV: I understand that, I do the same thing with playlists. I don't want to hear the same thing or the same band twice, it just gives a good sense of variety to the whole thing. It’s really cool you guys spread the tracks on the album that way.
CM: Yeah. As far as lyrical themes, our band is from Arizona which is a unique element. Arizona isn’t a place that is well known for having death metal bands.
Photo: Joey Maddo
HV: Yeah I was going to say, you usually think of California for metal.
CM:Yeah. The climate is also unique, in the desert it’s pretty hot so we’ve tried to tie that into our artwork and even the album title and some of the lyrics. Heat is also a thing that comes up, almost as the opposite of black metal where they talk about it being so cold so it’s like the exact opposite of that.
HV: That’s really cool that you guys brought the two styles together like that while keeping them separate and unique to you and where you come from, even throughout the artwork and title of the album.
CM: Yeah it’s definitely a recurring theme in our band.
HV: I know we talked a little bit about the live aspect of things, but what are some of the highlights of touring for you?
CM: Obviously playing live is fun and interacting with people who like our music or other bands that we tour with. The more you tour, the more people you meet and you become friends with people and bands that you tour with. Especially when you tour in the United States it seems like every city you know people. Whether it’s fans that we’ve met before or friends that we’ve made along the way or bands that we’ve played with. We have done it enough to where no matter where we go there are going to be some people we know. For me that is one of my favorite parts. Being able to see people I wouldn’t be able to see otherwise is really cool for me.
HV: Connecting with people like that must be fun, especially when it’s all over the country. Keeping with that, what are some of the more negative parts of being on the road and being away for a long time like that?
CM: For me, I don’t really mind being gone a lot. I have it set up at home to where I can be gone and it’s going to be fine. I know it’s different for everyone, some people are married, some people have other responsibilities at home but for me personally I enjoy being gone.
HV: Is there anything you, or even as a band, have noticed being in the studio and recording the new album that has made it easier for you guys to record or come up with things to put on the album?
CM: Yeah, we’ve recorded everything we have put out at the same studio with our friend Ryan in Tucson. For our band some of us are in Phoenix and some are in Tucson which is like an hour and a half drive but we record in Tucson. So for me it’s not exactly local as in right down the street but it’s close enough. Every time we do a new record or a recording session we learn from it and like I said, we looked at our previous record and said “what can we do better that will make this easier for us or make it more efficient so that we have more time to really perfect it?” So we took two weeks, I think, to track it and we were able to do every layer and go over it. We took our time and didn’t feel rushed at all. Then we had Kurt at God City mix it and this is the third record he has mixed for us. So it was a pretty tried and true method.
Like I was saying before me and Eric write music, and we like to make demos using Garage Band. We program the drums and then record riffs. So making demos is a big part of our writing process. We aren’t a band that gets to the studio or the jam space and write together, that’s just not how we do it. We record it, and now we have it set up so we demo it and use the guitars we recorded as scratch tracks when we are recording in the studio. So that makes it a lot easier and more streamlined because we don’t operate like bands used to. I think a lot of bands now do it the way we do because you don't have to live in the same state or country as your bandmates because you can send stuff back and forth online.
HV: Yeah I think that Garage Band is an awesome tool. I’ve played around with it in the past and it has always been a helpful tool to have. Especially for putting down demo’s or riffs or even a beat that you will probably forget later. That’s got to be a lot easier to pull out a device and get your ideas down.
CM: Yeah it has definitely been a valuable resource.
HV: Just one final question for you. What are you most excited for fans to hear on the upcoming album?
CM: I’m definitely excited for people just to hear it as a whole. We have released two songs already and that has gotten a good reception. But like ive been saying, it’s kind of one piece you know? It has a specific beginning, middle, and end. Ideally someone listens to it front to back. But I also think each song stands on it’s own. The one that I am most excited for people to hear, and almost anxious, are the ones that we did something a little different on. There is a song on there called ‘From Ashes’. It’s the third song and it’s almost more melodic than anything we’ve done before but it’s not too extreme of a change. So i’m excited for people to hear that and see what they think.
HV: Well that’s everything I've got for you. Thanks again for carving out some time and I hope the rest of the Prague tour goes well and the new album has a good release.
CM: Yeah no problem. Thank you so much, have a good one.
Gatecreeper will be on tour this November. Check out tour dates at:
Grab "Deserted" here and at the band's Bandcamp page.
Cover photo: Pablo Vigue
Stone Temple Pilots rose to prominence in the early 90’s, staking their claim in the grunge era with slower, thick riffs such as their debut album opener, “Dead and Bloated”. But later in their career, they crafted airy, upbeat tunes like “Days of the Week” and arguably their biggest hit, “Interstate Love Song”.
But as years moved on, singer Scott Weiland wrestled with substance abuse problems and fought very publicly with the other members of STP, resulting in his dismissal from the band in 2013. STP replaced him with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, as Weiland would go on to form Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts which he fronted until his passing in 2015.
A few months after Weiland’s death, Bennington announced his departure from Stone Temple Pilots, thus restarting their search for a singer to bring the same spark to the table. in late 2017, after a long and deliberate process of vetting singers to fill the void, they finally chose vocalist Jeff Gutt as the man to help carry the torch with the band.
Gutt had fronted rock bands such as Dry Cell and Band With No Name, and appeared on two seasons of the television show, The X Factor. There were curious and high expectations when Stone Temple Pilots released their first album with Gutt on the vocals in Spring of 2018, but they managed to recapture the magic of their grungey swagger, fulfilling fan expectations and starting a new chapter in their story.
“I keep waiting for my hazing, but it hasn’t come!,” Gutt says. “There’s a mutual respect and I think it really comes through when we work together...you find things that you believe in and it’s very democratic. I’m definitely happy with the situation, it couldn’t be better!”
Stone Temple Pilots are now heading out on a lengthy tour this year that will have them playing a mixture of shows in both the States and Europe, starting with the Gears and Guitars Festival in Winston-Salem, NC.
“It’s been awhile since we’ve played a show,” Gutt says. “[Touring] is like glorified camping! I mean we have nice buses-and it’s something that I love and I’m so blessed to be able to do it-but it really does seem like glorified camping after a while. Like trying to figure out the laundry situation or where to even put your stuff!
But that’s the great thing about being a musician: you aren’t doing the same thing all the time...being able to go out there and play STP songs and feel the energy of the crowd that loves STP like I do, that’s definitely a thrill. And I can find positivity in every crowd. Whether it is a coffeehouse or a huge arena, there’s always some way to feel that energy. Unless it’s just the wait staff, but that hasn’t happened in a while!”
Gutt recognizes that he is also stepping in to a role that has the large shadow of both Weiland and Bennnington looming over his shoulder. But he also knows that he can’t fill that void.
“I just have to do what I do,” he says. “This is what I’ve always done! (laughs) It’s kind of a natural fit for me, you know? I love writing songs, I love recording songs and I love singing live, so every time I get a chance to do that I don’t really think about trying to be different or the same (as Weiland and Bennington), I just try to go out there and enjoy it and feel the music as much as possible.”
With a new dawn on the horizon, Stone Temple Pilots are going to pay tribute to their turbulent and successful past while looking towards carving out new songs and a new future.
“There are definitely some songs about saying goodbye on the album and some songs about never letting go,” Gutt says. “I just try to do with the music tells me to do. It sets the tone about what kind of mood I’m going to go with and then it starts to present itself to me. I don’t really go searching for it. But I am the kind of guy who likes a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel...”
]]>Our live coverage of the Uncle Acid and Graveyard tour
]]>The Orange Peel in Asheville hosted another great show last month, with the bizarre do-wop band Twin Temple singing their brand of Roy Orbison-meets-the-devil music, followed by the ever reliable Graveyard with Uncle Acid bringing the night to an explosive end.
As I was gearing up for the concert, I met a fellow show photographer, Geddi, who was prepped to do his first live gig shoot. Live show photographers can be a prickly bunch of people to deal with, so it was refreshing to talk to a genuinely nice person I would be sharing space with in the pit. He was also kind enough to allow Heavy-Vinyl to post his stellar pictures of the show. Check them out below!
(All Photo Credit: Geddi Monroe@vinyldissection and www.geddimonroe.com unless otherwise stated)
Uncle Acid
Twin Temple
Graveyard
Uncle Acid
(Pictures below credit: David Locklear)
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Frontman Bobby Liebling has struggled with personal demons for most of his life, and one of the recent results of this struggle caused Liebling to serve 13 months in the Montgomery County Detention Center in Maryland in late 2017.
But now the rehabilitated and remorseful Liebling and Pentagram are back and touring the U.S. through March with the bluesy rock bands, Brother Dege and Dirty Streets. We talked to Liebling by phone as they were prepping to hit the road.
Heavy-Vinyl:Hey Bobby, how are you?
Bobby Liebling:I’m well, man, how are you doing?
HV:Doing well, is it still a good time to call talk?
BL:Yeah, I can talk to you. I’ve got a terrible sore throat, and a cough, and a cold, but otherwise, yes, I can talk.
HV:Oh man, are you getting what been plaguing the rest of the country for the last month or two?
BL:No, I don’t think so. A friend of mine just had a cold and came over, and the next day I had a cold. It’s a real messed up time, too. I’ve got to go on tour soon, so it’s kind of fucked up! (laughs)
HV:Yeah, no shit! You kind of need your voice and your throat to operate.
BL:And my strength too, but I’ll be all right. It all works out.
HV:Well, I’ll try not to abuse you too much on this interview today. So Pentagram is doing a tour through March, tell us about your plans for it.
BL:Well, it’s what I do. It’s a matter of finances and stuff! (laughs) I have to work, but we are all very enthusiastic about playing again together.
HV:What is the set list going to be like this time around? Obviously, you’re going to play the classic tracks like ‘When The Screams Come’, but are you going to dip a little deeper into other releases, like “Curious Volume”?
BL:We’ll do some from “Curious Volume”, like the track, ‘Devils Playground’. We started off with the set being a lot of alternate stuff, but eventually stepped back and said, “No, we can’t really do that.” Now we’re doing eleven songs-fourteen with an encore-and so many people are going to expect to hear certain songs and we’re going to do that for them.
HV:Did you do a major tour with the “Curious Volume” record?
BL:Yes, we did quite a bit in 2016.
HV:That was a pretty well received album.
BL:It did all right, but I would’ve liked to have seen it done better. We had a problem with it when [drummer, Tim Tomaselli] left the day after he recorded the original tracks to it. So we had to fly in Pete Campbell-who is with us now-and then re-record all the drums. It wasn’t easy! (laughs)
HV:Sounds like it was no stress for Pete.
BL:Right! None at all...we were just rushed by the end. But, you know, it did okay.
HV:I really enjoyed it.
BL:Well, thank you. We just try to keep it simple. The basic formula is going to stay the same. When we do another album, which we hope to do this year, we’ll still have some of the old classic stuff that I wrote in the 60’s and 70’s, and then some co-writes and new stuff, and blend them together. That’s been the formula all along really. I mean, this is what people have come to expect; this is our signature and so we plan on keeping it like that. We’ve got Matt [Goldsborough] playing guitar now, because [original guitarist, Victor Griffin] is not in, and that’s the only real difference coming up.
HV:Why is Victor not with Pentagram any longer?
BL:He has a lot of personal things going on in his life. His mom’s not doing too well and he’s getting her estate in order, and he has a lot of personal things that I won’t get into.
HV:That can’t be easy trying to juggle so many different personal commitments and trying to be in rock band at the same time.
BL:Right. And he also has his band, Place of Skulls, and he’s trying to put the band, Death Row, back together again. We saw each other briefly last month and he was doing well. We got along great and he’s a good guy, like a brother to me. But we have to keep on moving.
HV:Yeah, that’s the business aspect of rock n’ roll that people don’t really pay much attention to.
BL:It gets sticky sometimes you know? It’s a family. Especially in our situation: Victor is [bassist Greg Turley’s] uncle and Greg’s dad does our merch. I mean Greg’s been in Pentagram now for twenty-five years.
HV:Wow.
BL:It’s been a long time already! Yeah, he’s been there since 1995.
HV:That’s hard for me to wrap my head around! 1995 was almost 25 years ago?
BL:Yeah! How old are you?
HV:I’m 43.
BL:Well, Greg 45 now. When I met Greg he was seven years old! (laughs) It’s a trip, man, Greg’s been in the show for a long, long time now!
HV:Well, I imagine you have a really good bond at this point.
BL:Oh yeah. We have a lot of the same ideas and he’s a really good dude.
HV:When I was looking at the Pentagram Facebook page announcing your upcoming tour, one of the things I noticed was that there was a lot of support for the for the tour, but there also seemed to be quite a bit of saltiness directed at you.
BL:Yeah, I know. That’s social media. You’re always going to get that kind of thing, where people have no idea what really happened. And it wasn’t as bad as it was reported to be at all. I pled guilty to a second-degree misdemeanor in the end, which could even be a verbal assault. I got into an argument and my mother fell off the toilet seat, and it’s taken out of context. But people are going to take pot shots anyway, the people that don’t like you or the band to begin with, I think that’s always going to happen. I’ve gotten angry a couple times online with a couple people, but I simmer myself down and tell myself: “Hey, Bob, you know you’re in your 60’s. Take it easy and let the music do the talking because that ultimately what’s going to tell the tale.” We’ll just get up and play the songs. There’s no added bells or whistles or anything like that. One of the differences is I’m wearing earplugs, which I’ve never done before, because I can’t stand all the YouTube performances I see-I’m off key constantly. And it bugs the hell out of me! This way I can hear myself properly, because the monitors are not what they’re cracked up to be on stage. And when you’re playing at a volume like we do-which is pretty high-it starts sounding like all the instruments are not in tune to me...it gets pretty weird up there. So I’m just going to stand still this time and sing on key. (laughs) But I’ve got to do that, since I have BAD COPD and it hampers my breathing, so I’m just going to take it easy. I’ve never had the slightest insecurity like I do now. And it’s not because of the jail stuff-that’s no big deal to me, really. It’s a thing of the past. It’s something that happens to rock n’ roll people in the same way that it happens to other people.
HV:I guess the difference is regular people don’t have the media breathing down their neck.
BL:Exactly. Exactly. You have people up your ass when you’re in the public eye and it can get out of hand. So I now just need to shut up and be a good boy and play my music, because this is what I do! (laughs) And if you don’t like it don’t come. I don’t need a bunch of troublemakers coming around anyway.
HV:Yeah, why would they waste their money to come in and just to be a pain in the ass anyway?
BL:It’s like a heckler-they just don’t have anything better to do.
HV:While you were serving time, did you have any issues with withdrawal?
BL:Yeah, as a matter of fact. I had a huge benzo habit; I had been taking Xanax for about 40 years and I almost died from it. I had a seizure in jail. I had a pretty large habit of oxycodone besides that. Cocaine. A little of this, a little of that. So it was tough in the beginning, but after a few months you resign yourself to “Hey I’m here, I’m stuck, I’m not going anywhere!” (laughs) I pled guilty to the charges because I have so many past drug arrests and convictions that they were originally going to try to...give me 4 to 5 years in rehab. So I said to hell with it and just plead guilty. They were also going to offer me 10 years of time to do and I said “screw you!” That’s a life sentence for me in my age, I’m 65. Then they said: “Okay, we’ll give you 18 months.” Which I don’t know how they come up with these numbers-“If you don’t like that, then we’ll give you this.”
HV:It does seem random the way that they sometimes sentence people for their crimes.
BL:Yeah, exactly. And once I was in there, I was sentenced under a new law passed in October of 2017 that takes a third off of the sentence off automatically. Then I worked while I was in there, which took another third off, but I had 7 ½ months of jail time that I didn’t get any credit for where I was just waiting to go to trial.
HV:Oh, I thought they gave you credit for that time.
BL:Nope, no time served. So I did 13 ½ months, but it would’ve been six months.
HV:Were the other inmates pretty cool to you in there?
BL:Yeah, I got along with people in there. The CEOs in there were pulling my stuff up on YouTube while saying, “Hey, I’ve heard of you guys!” I was in the county jail the entire time, I was never in a penitentiary. I didn’t have to go “up the road” as they say.
HV:I hear there is a big difference between the two.
BL:There is, there is, but it’s also more confining. When you’re in there you don’t have freedom of movement, you can’t go outside. You’re just stuck in a block. But I’ve had people ask me “Well, you can still smoke cigarettes, right?” There’s no smoking in any prison in United States! That’s been gone for 10 years. I mean, when you’re in a penitentiary, sure, there’s all kinds of pot and Coke and shit coming in and out, but I’m in a local jail. There’s nothing.
HV:Well, with the space being so small and confining, it’s probably easier for the CO’s to keep an eye on the situations also.
BL:Yeah, of course, and they have a zero tolerance policy in Maryland, they are very strict.
HV:Your first public appearance after you were released from jail was at the Maryland Doom Fest, wasn’t it?
BL:Yes. People swamped me, and I took pictures and stuff like that. And they were all very receptive and very kind to me. I went with a buddy, Dave Sherman, from Earthride.
HV:Oh, I interviewed him a while back. That dude is a character! Do you guys ever get together and jam?
BL:Yeah, he’s a character. He’s a good guy. We haven’t jammed together, but he and I did that one album, “I Plead The Fifth” in 2006 on a thing called “The Ram Family”. We’ve been planning on doing another one, but we haven’t gotten to it yet. I potentially have a couple of things I’m going to do this year.
HV:What are they?
BL:I’m planning to do a second volume of “Sub Basement” with [former Pentagram drummer] Joe Hasselvander. That’s my favorite Pentagram album ever. So we’re planning on doing one of those this year. I’m maybe doing a project with the famous punk guy, Sonny Vincent [1970’s NYC punk band legends, Testor].
HV:Wow, that would be really cool.
BL:That would be pretty neat. Sonny and I have been talking and hopefully this summer we’re going to get to do some recording. I love the guy, he’s great.
HV:Are you planning to do these projects in addition to recording new Pentagram music?
BL:Potentially I’m hoping to do three albums this year. Plus, I’m doing a thing that I started with “Dead Boys” guitar player, Jason Conaway...we got one track done and there are three more tracks we haven’t finished. I was really elated to get to sing with them on their 40thanniversary thing at SXSW in 2017.
HV:Holy shit, the “Dead Boys” ‘Young, Loud and Snotty’ is 40 years old now? How did that happen?
BL:Yeah, they just re-recorded it as ‘Young, Loud and Snotty at 40’. (Laughs)
HV:This really has my inner nerd excited that I’m going to see all of these projects come to fruition this year!
BL:Well, I really hope so, man. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this stuff, you know, so I’m trying to get out all the stuff I can now.
HV:It sounds like you’re becoming Robert Plant trying to produce nine projects per year.
BL:Hell, I’m getting old man! (Laughs) You got to catch up while you can. I’m still a kid in my heart, but that’s not what my neck, back, lungs, kidneys and all that say when I wake up in the morning! They’re like “Oh, shit!” And being sober is a real different thing. I’ll be clean two years this month.
HV:Congratulations, dude.
BL:Well, thank you. I just want the fans to know that I’m really glad to be back out there and hopefully they’ll give me another shot. We’ll see where we get to this go around. Here we go again!
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Read about it at Metal Blast here.
Read Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Guz's response here.
Read former Arch Enemy vocalist and current manager Angela Gossow's response here.
]]>Matt Pike suffers medical emergency.
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(October 29, 2018) High On Fire will not participate in the 2018 "Speed of the Wizard" tour sponsored by Revolver Magazine. The band had planned on co-headlining with Municipal Waste.
The band has provided a statement: “Matt has a medical emergency culminating in the partial amputation of one of his toes. The scheduling of this procedure is immediate and the recovery time will overlap our intended tour with MW. We will unfortunately be unable to participate in this tour but will be back stronger than ever in 2019!” The tour itself will continue on without High on Fire as scheduled. Municipal Waste has provided a statement: "First and foremost we wish our friend Matt the best of luck with his recovery. We need him, the metal world in general needs him. We would much rather have him miss a tour to heal up rather than not having any more Matt Pike music in the future. High on Fire ‘s new album is amazing and we love him and his band mates so much. That being said after much discussion us Toxic and Haunt are still going to do the tour. It just makes sense, why make something negative worse? Get better Matt we love you.” (Photo: Jen Rosenstein)
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