LIVE! | Rocklahoma 2013

by Zane Cash
- Photojournalist –

Rocklahoma 2013 promised to be the biggest Memorial Day party around and that was an understatement! The three-day festival kicked off on Friday, May 24 in beautiful Pryor, Okla. with near perfect weather and people from all over the country who were ready and waiting to rock-n-roll. From the moment you arrive at your campsite and your feet hit the dirt, you realize that for the next three days, you will be having the time of your life and it almost feels like you have entered a completely different world.

This was the biggest year ever for Rocklahoma, with about 90 percent of ticket holders camping on the grounds, there was a party to be found from sun up to sundown all three days of the festival. There are people from all walks of life attending this festival simply because the mix of the lineup makes it a very unique experience and with over 70 acts appearing on multiple stages, there is something for everyone to enjoy. This was also the first year that Rocklahoma completely sold out their VIP section, along with the Groupie, Roadie & Rockstar packages which gives festival goers upgraded parking, reserved upfront seating, and access to the VIP tent that includes all you can drink Bud Light, soft-drinks, coffee, iced-tea, water and an amazing assortment of food, served buffet style.

From the moment the gates open at Rocklahoma, There is great live music on three stages inside the festival grounds. The Retrospect stage features a lot of bands that are on the rise and making a name for themselves in the music industry. Bands like London’s Dungeon, The Last Vegas, Black Tora, Firstryke and more brought everything they had to the stage and put on a very up close and personal live performance.

Across the pasture (literally), the Hardrock Stage or second stage had so many talented big named bands, some of which probably felt like they deserved to be on the main stage with longer set times but still gave it everything within them to impress the crowd and make sure they got their money’s worth.

The main stage is where the biggest parties of the weekend took place with headlining performances from Bush, Guns N’ Roses, Bullet For My Valentine, Alice In Chains, Cheap Trick, Korn and other bands over three days.

Day one of Rocklahoma was an extremely busy day, trying to run around and check out as many bands as possible. Hardrock Haven started the day at the Retrospect Stage listening to the sounds of London’s Dungeon who had a great crowd gathered at the tent awaiting their performance. Next, it was on to the main stage for All That Remains, who released their sixth studio album late last year entitled A War You Cannot Win. Even though there were some sound issues on the main stage, the band still gave it their all and played songs from that album as well as crowd favorites like “This Calling” & “Two Weeks”.

Next up on the main stage were the ’80s rockstars of the band Ratt who had rejoined forces with their original bassist Juan Croucier and came prepared to play their crowd favorite like “Round & Round” as well as many others.

By this time, the crowd had really filled up the festival grounds and were ready and waiting to see Papa Roach who are on the road in support of their latest album, The Connection. As he is known to do, Jacoby Shaddix decided to get up close and personal with the fans as he took the microphone into the crowd so he could be closer to the fans. They put on a great live show and played hits like “Burn”, “Getting Away With Murder”, “Forever”, “Scars” and “Last Resort” to name a few.

The next band of the day was Clutch from Germantown, Md. who are on the road in support of their latest release entitled Earth Rocker. These guys have been playing shows as a band since 1990 and they put on one of the best shows of the day. Playing the self titled track “Earth Rocker” from the new album, as well as other favorites like “Electric Worry”, they had the crowds attention from start to finish.

Finally, the sun had went down as we all had been hoping it would and it was time for a guitar auction to help with victims of the Moore, Okla. tornado. A guitar that was signed by Gavin Rossdale of Bush was auctioned for $3,000 just before the British rock band took the stage. The energy from the crowd was insane as Gavin Rossdale appeared into the spotlight. The entire band was filled with energy as if the crowd was giving it out and they were taking it in. Opening the show with the crowd favorite “Machinehead” really increased the party mood and feel. They then went on to play favorites like “The Sound Of Winter”, Everything Zen”, “Greedy Fly”, “Little Things” as well as a completely brilliant cover of “Come Together” by The Beatles where Gavin decided to leave the stage and walk throughout the crowd signing with people and giving hugs and high fives. He came back on stage with almost no shirt and then decided just to remove it altogether. They put on a very entertaining live show and also played the crowd favorite “Glycerine” towards the end of the set.

Now it was finally the moment that we had all been waiting for. After standing around waiting for a little over half an hour, Axl Rose and Guns N’ Roses finally took the stage and the crowd was glued to their performance, hoping to hear their favorite GNR song live or to have one special moment with one of the band members. The 30-minute wait paid off and then some because GNR played a very long set and the crowd ended up getting to hear almost 30 songs live. Including hits like “Welcome To The Jungle”, “It’s So Easy”, “Mr. Brownstone”, “Live & Let Die” (Wings cover), “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “November Rain”, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” (Bob Dylan cover dedicated to the state of Oklahoma), “Patience”, “Paradise City” and more. There was also an awesome piano solo by Dizzy Reed as well as covers of “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2” (Pink Floyd cover with Alx on piano) and “The Seeker” (The Who cover). It was a perfect way to end a very epic day of live music in Pryor, Okla.!
　
Day two at Rocklahoma was another very busy day filled with so much great live music that it would be impossible to cover all the bands but we did our very best to cover as many as possible. The second day for Hardrock Haven started at the main stage watching one of the most talented bands in the music business today, Halestorm. Halestorm took the stage with so much confidence that you knew they were going to put on a killer show. Lzzy Hale looked extremely beautiful as always and belted out crowd favorites like “Freak Like Me”, “Love Bites (So Do I)”, “I Get Off”, “I Miss the Misery” and the band even played a perfect cover of “Straight Through the Heart” in memory of the late Ronnie James Dio. (RIP)

Next up on the main stage was Christian rock band Skillet from Memphis, Tenn. who’s new album will be out later this year. They are very passionate about what they believe and they don’t try and force their beliefs on you during their show but they do take the time to let you know that they love their God and that they do believe. The crowd cheered very loud when John Cooper (lead singer of Skillet) informed them that the band Skillet is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and really got into some of the crowd favorites like “Hero”, “Awake & Alive”, “Monster” & “The Last Night”. Skillet also played a few songs from the new album before finishing their set.

Next, it was time from heavy metal band Bullet For My Valentine from the United Kingdom. With a backdrop of bloody hands from the Temper Temper album, Bullet For My Valentine took the stage with an extreme force. Knowing that they were one of the only HEAVY metal bands of the weekend, you could tell that they really wanted to bring the metal and put on a great show. Playing songs like “Your Betrayal”, “Waking The Demon”, “Riot” and “Temper Temper” as well as crowd favorites “Scream Aim Fire” and “Tears Don’t Fall”, the crowd was huge during their entire set.

Finally, it was time for the last band of Saturday night at Rocklahoma and that was the legendary Alice In Chains. They didn’t play that long of a set but the songs they did play were extremely powerful and a little bit creepy because the new singer, (William DuVall) sounds a lot like Layne Staley (RIP) when he and Jerry Cantrell harmonize together. They were very interactive with the fans, making eye contact and singing with those who knew the words. The set included songs like “Them Bones”, “Check My Brain”, “Hollow”, “Down In A Hole”, “Nutshell”, “Would?” and many more. There was also a very beautiful tribute to Layne Staley and they ended the night with crowd favorites “Man In The Box” and “Rooster.” Everything about Alice In Chains performance was near perfect and the crowd even got to meet Jerry Cantrell’s father who came out and said a few words to the audience!
　
Day Three and the final day of Rocklahoma was mostly spent trying to remind ourselves that our legs did in fact still work and that there were still more great bands to see! The bands we decided to cover on day three started with the extremely funny Steel Panther on the main stage. The entire crowd spent pretty much the whole show laughing and having a great time. If your face didn’t hurt from smiling after the Steel Panther set, you probably weren’t paying attention and that was probably because you were watching all the females in the crowd who didn’t mind showing a little skin. Their set included songs like “Girl From Oklahoma”, “Asian Hooker”, “Community Property”, “17 Girls in a Row” and “Death to all but Metal”.

The next band on Sunday at Rocklahoma was Hollywood Undead on the main stage and they knew how to get a crowd excited. Not only did they play a pretty long set but they also brought a child from the audience (who was wearing a Hollywood Undead shirt) up on stage for an entire song. They played songs for the crowd like “Undead”, “Tendencies”, “Been To Hell”, “City” & “Hear Me Now”. They were also joined on stage by Fieldy of “Korn” for the song “Everywhere I Go”.

The final band of the weekend for Hardrock Haven at Rocklahoma 2013 was the band Korn on the main stage. Many people were very excited to see Korn live simply because they were reunited with their original guitarist, Brian “Head” Welch for one of the first times in over eight years. You could tell by watching Korn on stage at Rocklahoma that they really wanted to be there and that they were having the time of their lives. The sound was extremely tight and Jonathan Davis’ vocals have never sounded better. It was an intense live show, filled with energy and emotion.

They started the show off with “Blind” which really got the crowd in the mood to party hard. Then it was “Ball Tongue” / “It Takes Two” / “Lodi Dodi“, “Twist“, “Chi“, “Falling Away From Me“, “Narcissistic Cannibal“, “Coming Undone” and “Did My Time.“ Then Jonathan Davis broke out the bagpipes and they played “Shoots & Ladders” / “Somebody Someone.“ Also on the set list was “Here To Stay“, “Helmet In The Bush“, “Need To“, “Lies” and the encore songs were “Get Up!”, “Got The Life” and they ended the night with “Freak On A Leash.“ It was one epic weekend and definitely a festival that you want to put on your calendar for next year!

Headliners included: Guns N’ Roses, Alice In Chains, Korn, Bush, Cheap Trick, Bullet For My Valentine, Papa Roach, Skillet, Hollywood Undead, Steel Panther, Asking Alexandria, Ratt, Halestorm, Device (with David Draiman), All That Remains, Escape the Fate, Dokken, Clutch, Motionless In White, Big Wreck, The Sword, Young Guns, Thousand Foot Krutch, Otherwise, Red Line Chemistry, Mindset Evolution, Heaven’s Basement, We As Humans, American Fangs, O’Brother

Retrospect Records Stage featured performances from: The Last Vegas, London, Wildstreet, Mad Max, Bai Bang, Lynam, De La Cruz, The Glitter Boys, Black Tora, Sunset Riot, Firstryke, Ragdoll, Hessler, Switchblade Scarlett, Nasty Habit, Sister’s Doll, London’s Dungeon, Rhyme, Emerald City, Wicked, Down n Dirty, Station, Ruff Justice, Mystery, and Fist of Rage.

LIVE! | Rock on the Range 2013 Concert Review & Photo Galleries

by Chris A.
- Senior Photojournalist –

May 17-19, 2013 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio

ROCK ON THE RANGE 2013 AN AMAZING FESTIVAL OF EPIC PROPORTIONS

“Sold Out, All Three Days… Thank you Rangers” were the words scrawled on the white board in the media tent at Columbus Crew Stadium in the early afternoon on Friday, day one of the 2013 rendition of “Rock On The Range.” It was obvious just walking around the stadium that in excess of 30,000 people were roaming from stage to stage soaking in the rock n’ roll. By the end of three days, some 105,000 people would pass through the gates at Crew Stadium to participate in one of the biggest rock festivals in America.

Now an institution and firmly established as “the big festival in the Midwest,” Rock On The Range has been so successful and so well supported by the fans that its inspired several spinoff festivals including “Carolina Rebellion” and “Rocklahoma”.

For rock fans from the Buckeye state, Rock On The Range is special because it’s the original festival and it’s the big time for Ohio. The citizens of Columbus love the festival and its residents plan vacations and party time around the massive event. The countdown to Rock On The Range starts just after the new year when the promoters start announcing the bands. In the months leading up to the show, local radio and media promote, talk, pitch and extol the virtues of Rock On The Range. While all that’s happening, local bands like Mansfield Ohio-based Error 504 fought it out with 60 other Ohio rock bands for the chance to perform at Rock On The Range.

The 2013 Rock On The Range proved to be the most highly attended show in the franchise’s seven-year history. The concert has been so successful and so well attended that a third day was added to the event giving rock fans a solid weekend of big-time rock n’ roll.
Gates for Friday opened at 3 p.m. giving rock fans a reason to sneak out of work a bit early and get the weekend started. Unlike Saturday and Sunday which would feature three stages, Friday’s venue was slightly more compact, featuring the Jaegermeister Stage and the Monster Main Stage. Opening the show was Columbus favorite, X-Factor-1 who welcomed the crowd to the show and set the bar high for every act that would follow. Over the course of the next 11 hours, Rock on The Range fans were treated to incredible performances.

While the early bands got fans warmed up, crowd favorite and one of America’s best party bands Buckcherry lit it up on the Monster Main Stage as they got the Rock On The Range fans to their feet. It has to be mentioned that Cheap Trick was absolutely brilliant and demonstrated exactly why they have been around for four decades. Rick Nielsen and crew were energetic and had the audience in the palm of their hands. It was an inspired and incredible performance. As darkness fell on the stadium headliners Korn took to the Monster Main stage, drummer Ray Luzier, illuminated by a single spotlight tapped out the opening to “Blind“ on the cymbals as the crowd roared and welcomed the return of Brian “Head” Welch on guitar. Day One of Rock On The Range was in the can.

As the day dawned on the second day of Rock On The Range, a light rain was falling and ominous clouds converged over the gigantic Crew Stadium. Thankfully, the threat of rain passed and the storm clouds diminished as the day progressed. Day two introduced the Pabst Blue Ribbon Stage into the mix joining the Monster Main Stage and the Jager Stage as the showcase for the artists.

While all the bands seemed to be performing at a high level, day two standout performances were given by Michigan based Pop Evil, Grammy winners Halestorm, Welsh heavy metal band Bullet For My Valentine, a pyro-filled Three Days Grace and Iowa’s favorite sons Stone Sour. Stone Sour’s Cory Taylor is one of rock’s most magnetic frontmen in rock as Stone Sour dominated the stage during their dynamic performance as the fans went berserk. Headliners Smashing Pumpkins performed on the main stage closing the show as Rock On The Range day two passed into history.

Before everyone knew it, day three had arrived, the final day of ROTR and like the first two days, the weather Gods smiled down upon the masses and graced the show with ideal weather. Thrilled to have earned the privilege to perform at Rock On The Range was Mansfield, Ohio’s own Error 504. Fresh off their Battle Of The Bands victory, they gave a spirited rousing performance as they welcomed the Sunday crowd to the event.

Just like Friday and Saturday the Rock On The Range crowd was massive, over 30,000 people worked their way from stage to stage to check out the bands. When it came to standout performances it was hard not to have a great time watching the bombastic pomposity of ’80s rock n posers Steel Panther. Over on the PBR stage, blond vixen Maria Brink and her very visual band In This Moment turn up the heat on the fans. A few hours later, drawing a gigantic crowd to the PBR stage was one of heavy metal’s favorite sons Randy Blythe and Lamb of God.

As Alice In Chains wrapped up their set on the Monster Main stage the sun was setting on the Buckeye State and the stadium became shrouded in an orange and gold glow as dusk fell. Soon it was the final band, Soundgarden. Chris Cornell and company sounded amazing as they performed their catalog of great songs for the masses at Rock On The Range.

Then as suddenly as it started, Columbus Ohio’s biggest concert of 2013 was over. The strains of rock n’ roll faded into the dark Ohio night as thousands of people made their way home after a rousing weekend of rock n’ roll.

Rock on the Range Photo Gallery [Show as slideshow] [View with PicLens] 123456►

Rock on the Range Day 1 Photo Gallery Korn, Cheap Trick, Buckcherry, Hollywood Undead, In Flames, Oleander, Mindset Evolution, XFACTOR1, Love and Death, American Fangs [Show as slideshow] [View with PicLens] 1234...678►

Rock on the Range Day 2 Photo Gallery Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Sour, Three Days Grace, Papa Roach, A Day To Remember, Bullet for My Valentine, Halestorm, Asking Alexandria, All That Remains, Black Veil Brides, Pop Evil, Clutch, The Sword, Motionless In White, Otherwise, Young Guns, Red Line Chemistry, Gemini Syndrome, Heaven’s Basement, Scorpion Child [Show as slideshow] [View with PicLens] 123456►

Rock on the Range Day 3 Photo Gallery Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Bush, Volbeat, Skillet, Lamb Of God, Steel Panther, Device, In This Moment, Sevendust, Sick Puppies, Ghost B.C., Red, Big Wreck, Deuce, Middle Class Rut, Thousand Foot Krutch, Beware Of Darkness, O’Brother [Show as slideshow] [View with PicLens] 1234567►

The consensus of the folks who attended Rock On The Range 2013 was almost universal praise. A few fan comments include:

“At Rock On The Range, ROTR brings in people from all across America to be united by music. How amazing is that? I loved every minute of it!” -Tina M.
“My first show ever! It was an amazing array of music, people and rock all in one! -”Pam V

“First time Ranger here and I enjoyed it so much that I may make it a tradition now. I was most impressed with the other Rangers in attendance. Standing in line we got the most helpful advice for dealing with crowd surfers, which side of the stadium to sit on to avoid the sun during various times of day etc. Everyone was so nice and it was obvious that we were now part of one big rock family.” -Cheri D.

From the bands to the overall production and organization of the festival, for the seventh time, Rock On The Range lived up to all its hype and delivered the goods. An amazing festival for anyone who loves to rock.

Here’s to a great time and let’s all hook up and do it again next year! You can see hundreds of photos of Rock On The Range right here at www.hardrockhaven.net

For more information on Rock On The Range visit www.rockontherange.com and interact with them on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/rockontherange

[Photos by www.chrisaphotography.com]

Bullet for My Valentine | Temper Temper

by Nikiforos Skoumas
- Columnist –

One of the most remarkable success stories in modern metal, Bullet For My Valentine, hit the music stores once again with their fourth all-original studio album Temper Temper. Temper Temper features the established line up of lead singer, guitarist Matt Tuck, drummer Michael Thomas, bassist Jay James and guitarist Padge.

Once again Bullet collaborates with renowned contemporary rock producer Don Gilmore who captured the previous album Fever. It has to be clear that there seems to be no intention from the band’s side to enter new musical territory or take their style a step further, so to speak.

Temper Temper opens on the staccato drum and rhythm guitar of “Breaking Point” sounding very much like a mixture of “Your Betrayal” and “The Last Fight”, both highlights of the previous album while surprisingly enough incorporates the kind of guitar solo you would expect to hear from an early Firewind album. The second track “Truth Hurts” also comes out as very heavy and moody while allowing for some very memorable vocal melodies from Tuck’s part. The title track “Temper Temper” also shares similar harmonies with its predecessor “Fever” as well as entertaining the same subject of lust or sexual anxiety. The vocabulary is also strikingly similar “… Feels good when I loose control” and “ … I feel the sweat dripping down your face.”

From there onwards one can easily pick even more songs carrying the vibe of the previous album, namely “Dirty Little Secrets” and “Leech.” The potential single “Riot” takes the role of the individualist of the bunch featuring rather unique rhythm patterns and uncommonly plain chorus by Valentine standards.

Clearly one has to approach the new Bullet for my Valentine album in the knowledge that it is confined within the musical boundaries set by Fever. Most of the songs on Temper Temper could have easily been featured on Fever while the band themselves have been perfectly honest admitting that the new album is bound to sound a lot like the previous one. Even by looking at the definitions of the two titles one is bound to find similarities as both fever and temper are associated with heat and tension.

Conclusively Bullet for my Valentine have lost the element of surprise this time around, yet an objective mind would never interpret that as lack of creativity or vision. It definitely comes down to the songs and for the biggest part Temper Temper is almost as good as Fever. So if you enjoy the Bullet of late, you will probably make the most of the material featured on Temper Temper.

Genre: Melodic Metal, Modern Hard Rock

Line up:
Matt Tuck – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Paget – lead guitar, backing vocals
Jason James – bass guitar, backing vocals
Michael Thomas – drums

Track List:
01.Breaking Point
02.Truth Hurts
03.Temper Temper
04.Pow
05.Dirty Little Secret
06.Leech
07.Dead To The World
08.Riot
09.Saints n Sinners
10.Tears Don’t Fall (Part 2)
11.Livin Life (On The Edge of A Knife)

Label: RCA, Sony Music

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10

Five Must See Bands From Rock on the Range

by Chris A.
Staff Writer

Energy, Great Vocals and Stage Vibe Make These Bands Worth Shelling Out the Bucks To See Live

Now with its fifth year behind it, “Rock On The Range” has become a real-deal rock and roll concert institution. Held each year in Columbus, Ohio, at Crew Stadium, fans, bands and media agree it’s one of the best run high- value for money rock festivals in North America. The success of the Rock on the Range franchise has inspired a Canadian variant and similar festivals including the 2011 “Carolina Rebellion.”

The 2011 Rock on the Range featured 40 bands and added a free Friday night party for ticket holders. With three stages and that many bands it impossible to see every act. Headliners for the event included Avenged Sevenfold, A Perfect Circle, Disturbed, Korn, Stained and many more.

As the summer schedule heats up, here are a few suggestions for bands to consider going to see based on their performance at Rock On The Range:

Korn: Okay, the bands been through several members and has been around the block, but this train just keeps on rolling. From the moment they walked onto the main stage at ROTR it was pandemonium on the stadium main floor. Jonathan Davis is a presence behind the microphone, with his often constrained, hypnotic vocals adding credibility to the insanity of Korn’s musical world. A genuine must-see band that never fails to deliver live!

Black Label Society: Zakk and the boys in BLS are back and putting more “brutal”into the old-school “brewtality” the band originally built its reputation on. After several tumultuous years and two ho-hum albums, Wylde’s ejection from Ozzy Osbourne’s band was perhaps what the iconic metal shredder needed to help him find his way back to reality. The now-healthy Zakk Wylde took the stage donning a full indian war bonnet Ala-Ted Nugent and for the next 30 minutes treated the crowd to inspired wailing.

Pop Evil: Wow! An absolutely explosive band with a frontman who has it all. I like bands that are “frenetic” and that’s one way to describe the energy expelled by the rockers in Pop Evil. With great guitar tone and a vocalist who instantly seems to connect with the fans, Pop Evil is one of those bands that deserves serious consideration. There’s no standing still when this band is on stage.

Trust Company: While these guys hail from Alabama, they’re not “good ole boys” by any means. Mixing tight guitar grooves with big soaring vocals in a melodic metal mix of head-banging inducing tunes, this band has great potential. Radio friendly with tunes that should appeal to a broad range of rock fan. The band is absolutely crazy onstage with youthful enthusiasm and high-powered rock-star appeal.

Asking Alexandria: This is a kick ass metal band. I’d never heard of them before ROTR but I’m gonna be keeping an eye on them. With steam-roller precision this British quintet of guitars match perfectly with the incredibly diverse capabilities of the vocalist. If you like it brutal these guys deliver.

Day 1 (Saturday, May 21) Monster Energy Stage: Avenged Sevenfold Korn Staind Alter Bridge Hinder Sick Puppies Rev Theory Finger 11 FYE Stage: Danzig Escape the Fate My Darkest Days Crossfade Asking Alexandria Trust Company Jagermeister Stage: P.O.D. Black Veil Brides 2Cents Egypt Central Hourcast Downplay

Day 2 (Sunday, May 22) Monster Energy Stage: A Perfect Circle Disturbed Puddle of Mudd Bullet for My Valentine Black Label Society All That Remains Saving Abel 10 Years FYE Stage: Hollywood Undead A Day to Remember Trapt Cavo Pop Evil Greek Fire Jagermeister Stage: The Damned Things Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Evans Blue Art of Dying Red Fang 7th Cycle

2011 Rock on the Range Photo Gallery

Photos appear courtesy of Chris A.

LIVE! : Carolina Rebellion Music Festival

CAROLINA REBELLION

Saturday, May 7th Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, NC.

AEG Live and Right Arm Entertainment latest production, Carolina Rebellion music festival, is proud to be sponsored by Jägermeister, Monster Energy drink and FYE. This is the same team that produces the highly successful Rock On The Range in Columbus, OH. The one day music festival features many of today’s hard hitting rock artists appearing on three stages (two main stages) at the Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, NC.

The festival featured two main stages for the biggest acts in rock today, both sponsored by Monster Energy. The bands participating in Carolina Rebellion festival included: Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Stone Sour, Seether, Bullet For My Valentine, Theory of a Deadman, Alter Bridge, Hinder, Skillet, Saving Abel, Halestorm, Black Stone Cherry, My Darkest Days, Cavo, Rev Theory, Pop Evil, Art Of Dying and more.

“It seems the Carolinas are in need of a rock festival to call their own and we are honored to unleash the Rebellion to the great rock fans of this area,” says Gary Spivack, co-executive producer of the event for Right Arm Entertainment. “With our partners at AEG we locked into an amazing outdoor venue just minutes from downtown Charlotte. We are so proud of this lineup. From Godsmack to Avenged Sevenfold to Three Days Grace to Stone Sour….it’s nonstop…one great band after another.”

Cavo – 12:20pm
Halestorm – 1:50pm
Skillet – 3:30pm
Bullet For My Valentine – 5:20pm
Seether – 7:10pm
Three Days Grace – 8:45pm
Avenged Sevenfold – 10:45pm

My Darkest Days – 11:50am
Saving Abel – 1:20pm
Hinder – 2:50pm
Alter Bridge – 4:40pm
Theory of a Deadman – 6:30pm
Stone Sour – 7:50pm
Godsmack – 9:40pm

Drop D – 11:30am
Art of Dying – 12:50pm
Pop Evil – 2:20pm
Black Stone Cherry – 4:10pm
Rev Theory – 6:00pm

www.carolinarebellion.com

Carolina Rebellion Photo Gallery

Photos appear courtesy of Steve Trager

Sydney Soundwave Festival 2011

February 27, 2011 at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia.

by Cameron Edney
Guest Staff Writer

For those of us who have already experienced the Soundwave Festival train this past week how fucking AMAZING was that!

So many amazing sets, I don’t even know where to begin, but give me time and there will be a full coverage review going around! No doubt highlights for me included Stone Sour, Nonpoint, Dimmu Borgir, Taking Dawn, Devildriver, Rob Zombie and Iron Maiden.

After covering 26 of the 60+ artists on the bill we’ve finally compiled a ton of great photographs for your viewing pleasure. Anyways enough from me, it’s time for the pictures to tell the story of what was one hell of a kick ass day for rock, punk and metal lovers in Sydney!

Featured bands include:
30Seconds to Mars
36 Crazyfists
Breath Carolina
Bullet for my Valentine
Devildriver
Dimmu Borgir
Every Avenue
High on Fire
Ill Nino
Kylesa
Murderdolls
MXPX All-Stars
Nonpoint
Primus
Rise to Remain
Rob Zombie
Sevendust
Slash
Stone Sour
Taking Dawn
The Sword
Trash Talk

Sydney Soundwave Festival Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Cameron and Aimee Edney

Mayhem Festival Live!

August 7, 2009 at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ

by Steve trager
Staff Writer

Fans of pure metal have found themselves with the newest edition of summer festivals simply called Mayhem Festival. It is similar to one the greatest tours ever to roam across America, which is “Ozzfest.” Mayhem Festival certainly has kept the doors opened to one of the best-known genres in music, which is Heavy Metal. Last year’s initial run with Mayhem was an indication that we can still rock out in the hardest way with some of the greatest bands on three stages for one decent priced ticket.

This year’s Mayhem Festival definitely cranked up the word “Heavy” with a brutal line-up that turned most pits into total chaos during such sets like Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Trivium and God Forbid.

The nice feature about Mayhem Festival is that you have three stages, loads of music, and rockstar bling for those who always want to make a fashion statement to the rest of the world. Last year’s festival had a great line-up that could have very well been just a one-time slot of Mayhem. But the response from last year brings us to the second annual Mayhem festival. It featured great sets from well-known artists like veteran thrashers Slayer and the rock shock anti-Christ himself, Marilyn Manson, who closed out the main stage.

For most of us who endure the heavier side of metal, there were bands like Job for A Cowboy, WhiteChapel and Behemoth that can grab your attention once the music kicks in. Everyone likes something different when it comes to music in general. While I might dislike some of the bands that played on the Hot Topic stage, it still was an incredible experience to see a long list of bands that certainly hold the record for mosh mayhem.

Perhaps each set could have been longer for bands like God Forbid, Trivium, All that Remains, and Bullet for My Valentine, which opened the main stage, the fans still get the packing punch we have always come to expect at a metal show.

I still have to give props to Killswitch Engage for their stage attire at a metal show. Even dressed slightly unusual for head bangers delight, front man Howard Jones still has that voice that can go through you like a lighting bolt. I especially enjoyed Dio’s “Holy Diver“ cover, which was filled with anger and great guitar work and the balls-to-the-wall vocals makes that ‘80s classic truly come alive as only Killswitch can do so well live.

Slayer also out did a great show, captivating their finest works as an old-school thrash band that they are. Slayer is a true metal band that has never changed its sound and never has sold out for radio success but has kept a cult following all these years in the true genre of pure metal. Even Manson played a great quick set; however, I am not much of a big fan. Music fans always like something different, and that makes them unique. This is an indication that Mayhem Festival will be around for a long time (we can all hope).

The Great: Bullet for My Valentine, All That Remains, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, God Forbid, and Slayer.

Hot Topic / Extreme Metal Stage:
WhiteChapel
Black Dahlia Murder
Job for A Cowboy
Behemoth
Cannibal Corpse

Jagermeister Music Stage:
Beyond The Star
God Forbid
All That Remains
Trivium

Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage
Bullet For My Valentine
Killswitch Engage
Slayer
Marilyn Manson

Mayhem Festival 2009 Photo Gallery

Photos by Steve Trager.