New video from PRONG
Posted on SPV’s Youtube site.
Prong’s new album Zero Days drops 7/28
Category Archives: Blogging
New Video – Amon Amarth The Way of Vikings
New video from Amon Amarth
The Way of Vikings from the Amon Amarth YouTube
Looking forward to seeing the Viking show on Sunday at Open Air
Open Air Lineup REVEALED
The lineup for the second Open Air 2017 has been announced.
Heavy hitters such as Kiss, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Godsmack, Ozzy Osbourne, Lamb of God and Slayer will headline. What I find interesting is Slayer is closing second stage.
*blinks*
Slayer CLOSING second stage?
Well, that could be interesting since I believe they should be on first, right?
Korn is returning for their second stint as is Meshuggah who will also be one of the second stage’s headliners. Dillinger Escape Plan, Falling in Reverse, Avatar, Metal Church, as well as Body count are other names on the bill that definitely draw a lot of attention.
Let’s hope the second Open Air, can be as good as the first!
Opeth Gojira Old Indianapolis Centre 5/13/17
GOJIRA
Although Opeth and Gojira and fastly becoming part of our regular rotation of coverage, they don’t seem to bore or disappoint us. First Gojira, who all look like babies, suddenly find themselves among the more seasoned artists in metal. A consistent tour schedule, massive exposure from the record company (Roadrunner), as well as a devoted fanbase will do that for you. And though they are mature now, they don’t perform like tired old men.
Even though the mix of complicated time changes and killer riffs can only be bested by Meshuggah or the concert’s headliners, Opeth, Gojira doesn’t allow that to stop them. Apparently, Gojira has mastered the art of keeping their fans on their toes and for this show the crowd was delighted by Gojira’s efforts.
Playing favorites such as Stranded, Silvera, and The Cell, Joe and company wowed the crowd with a strong forty-five minute set. The movement from those in attendance made the floor shake and their rousing show seemed to blow the roof off the Old Egyptian Centre.
In all the times I’ve seen Gojira, I’d have to say this ranks as one of their best shows. They always come with energy which some bands lack. Fortunately, they don’t and given that they’ve already been around over a decade and a half, they show no signs of slowing down.
SETLIST
Only Pain
The Heaviest Matter of the Universe
Silvera
Stranded
Flying Whales
The Cell
Backbone
L’Enfant Sauvage
The Shooting Star
Toxic Garbage Island
Pray
* * * *
OPETH
As I mentioned in the aforementioned Gojira review, Opeth are one of the masters of complex and technical. Being a headliner seems to suit Opeth who continue to bring their A game.
Opeth is supporting their latest release Sorceress and they opened the night with that track. They also played a medley as they did the last time we saw them, getting us excited for older tracks without actually completing them, which annoyed many including me.
However, not enough to say the show was a failure. It wasn’t. Anytime seeing Opeth is a joy because although the list may be small due to the duration of songs, you always know Mikael and company will play every song flawlessly.
SETLIST
Sorceress
Ghost of Perdition
Demon of the Fall
The Wilde Flowers
In My Time of Need
The Devil’s Orchard
Cusp of Eternity
Heir Apparent
Era
Deliverance
Upcoming Shows to Chi-Town
January was quiet, but February on is kicking ass! Check out the heavy shows coming your way over the next couple of months!
Overkill 18.03.08 MusikZentrum LC
FEBRUARY
2.14 DEVILDRIVER, DEATH ANGEL, WINDS OF PLAGUE, THE AGONIST, AZREAL
Portage Theater, Chicago
2.14 LORDI, RIVAL, WRATH, SPARE CHANGE show moved to Reggies
Reggies, Chicago
2.17 OVERKILL, NILE
Concord Music Hall, Chicago
2.18 2017 Hardcore Horror Fest w/ SINISTER FATE & more
Underground Lounge, Chicago
2.18 PAIN OF SALVATION, OCEANS OF SLUMBER, PAPER HERO
Reggies, Chicago
2.23 MAX & IGGOR CAVALERA: RETURN TO ROOTS, IMMOLATION, FULL OF HELL
Portage Theater, Chicago
2.23 DARKEST HOUR, RINGWORM, ROTTEN SOUND, RIVERS OF NIHIL
Reggies, Chicago
2.24 AFTER THE BURIAL, EMMURE, FIT FOR A KING, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, INVENT, ANIMATE
Bottom Lounge, Chicago
MARCH
3.3 ULI JON ROTH, MANO, BRIMSTONE COVEN, SCHOOL OF ROCK
Reggies, Chicago
3.3 STEPHEN PEARCY of RATT
Arcada Theatre, Saint Charles IL
3.4 WHITECHAPEL, CATTLE DECAPITATION, GOATWHORE, ALLEGAEON
House of Blues, Chicago
3.4 DOKKEN, WARRANT, FIREHOUSE
Genesee Theatre, Waukegan
3.15 DOPE, COMBICHRIST, SEPTEMBER MOURNING, DAVEY SUICIDE
H.O.M.E. Bar, Arlington Heights IL
3.18 ENUFF Z’NUFF, TATTOOED MILLIONAIRES, CHEAP TRIBUTE
Penny Road Pub, Barrington IL
3.22 DESPISED ICON, CARNIFEX, FALLUJAH, RINGS OF SATURN, LORNA SHORE
Double Door, Chicago
3.25 UFO, SAXON, JARED JAMES NICHOLS
Arcada Theatre, Saint Charles IL
3.26 AMORPHIS, SWALLOW THE SUN, EARTHEN, VARAHA
Reggies, Chicago
3.26 BON JOVI
United Center, Chicago
3.31 WINGER
Joe’s Live, Rosemont
3.31 ANTHRAX
Arcada Theatre, Saint Charles IL
Grammy time! *yawn*
Well, it’s that time of year AGAIN. Time to give a bunch of old record player statues to a lot of the same artists who are nominated every single stinking year. Don’t get me wrong, as an artist (author) and creator myself, I love receiving the recognition for my work.
Best Albums of 2016 Sharita Lira
2016 was tough. We lost legends, we elected a dictator as President, and had our share of world tragedies. However, as always with all the crazy, comes some definitive music for the ages. And there was plenty of it.
Forged in Fire Tour – Hellyeah In Flames
With Christmas just around the corner, it seemed apropos that we’d get to see Swedish metallers In Flames along with HellYeah as support. What better way to let out some aggression around the blasted holidays than catching two of the loudest bands on the planet? I say that with love of course.
The venue was packed to the rafters for this event and both bands brought their “A” game. HellYeah was supporting their newest release, Undeniable. The band was in top form, with lead singer Chad Gray rousing the crowd with his antics, highlighted by bassist Kyle Sanders spitting fake blood in his singer’s face! Chad had inspirational messages for his followers between each song; where he remarked how heavy metal saved him and urged that we’re all in this together. I suppose his words were in response to the election three weeks ago. Nevertheless, the crowd appreciated his sentiments and appeared to be into the set from beginning to end.
In Flames was up next and the headliners made sure they kept the energy going. In support of their latest disc, Battlers, my third favorite Swedes entertained the masses with their signature Gothenberg Sound. We also learned bassist Peter Iwers was leaving the band to pursue other interests. Lead singer Anders Friden made the announcement and many in the crowd, including me were shocked. Of course, we’re well aware of his brewery and restaurant he has back home which seems to have taken off, meaning he needs to drop one of his passions. Beer or Metal? For a metalhead, seems like a pretty tough choice to me. Still, Peter is a staple in the band and he will be missed.
Despite that bit of bad news, the band put on a good set as always, leaving the capacity crowd happy they came out to give Peter a proper send off.
We at FourteenG wish Peter Iwers the best and look forward to a new incarnation of In Flames for 2017 and onward!
Setlist
Bullet Ride
Where the Dead Ships Dwell
Leeches
The End
Alias
Only for the Weak
Play Video
Cloud Connected
The Truth
Through Oblivion
The Quiet Place
Paralyzed
Deliver Us
Take This Life
25 Years of Pigface 11/25/2016
Industrial music.
When you hear that genre many acts come to mind. KMFDM, Nine Inch Nails, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Ministry, and of course, Pigface. Pigface was basically everyone in industrial/metal music. If you look up all its members, many familiar faces pop up for their band roster. They were a Wax Trax staple, releasing 18 albums and now after almost a quarter of a century, they’re still a household name for industrial music. The reunion started with an art show here in Chicago that ended up being a hit. So much so, that leader Martin Atkins decided to do a show and donate the proceeds to a music charity. Thus, Pigface 25 performance was born.
They brought in the whole gang as it were and fucking it up as only they know how!
Being an industrial fan myself, I couldn’t wait to see this show. I’d never caught Pigface live, but I knew many of their songs. And so is the case with many industrial fans. We know the music, but might not know the band behind some of the classic ditties unless they were big like KMFDM, Ministry, and Nine Inch Nails just to name a few. Pigface is one of those bands that might remain a mystery to many, but it doesn’t take away any of the appreciation you have for the band.
During this almost four plus hour show that went into the wee hours of the morning, we caught many familiar faces playing their hits from the golden years of industrial. It might’ve been the biggest collection of bands I’ve seen on a stage at once with a headcount of well over 40+ musicians trading instruments and sharing mics. It looked like the kind of party we’d all want to be a part of. It was a spectacle. The crowd was attentive, singing and bouncing throughout the set, albeit on Black Friday, which seemed quite appropriate.
There were guest appearances from Gravity Kills frontman Jeff Scheel, and others as well as performances from Frankie of Thrill Kill Kult and En Esch, formerly of KMFDM who ironically played “Godlike”, a KMFDM classic. All in all, Pigface had one awesome show which is rumored to be their last. They went out with a bang and we were there to witness it firsthand.
Fuck it up Pigface!
High on Fire/Meshuggah
High on Fire has always been a favorite of mine. The doom metal genre isn’t, but I always appreciated Matt Pike’s lyrical ability and musicianship. This evening he wowed the crowd playing tracks such as “The Black Plot”, “Rumors of War”, “Turk” and “Fertile Green”.
My second favorite Swedes. Who are the first you may ask? Click the link to find out. But yes, Meshuggah are definitely a close second. To appreciate a Meshuggah performance, you might need to get plenty of rest beforehand. Not because they are boring, oh no. Instead, it’s because the hard driving rhythms, killer riffs, and time changes will exhaust the hell out of you. Mind you, I wasn’t in the pit. I was off to the side with other press people, taking in the sight and having some libations, watching the melee unfold while the band were on stage playing their asses off. To say the crowd wasn’t totally into it would be wrong. They were, and although the performance was on the same night as the Cubs playing a world series game at home, the people in attendance cared little about what was going on in the outside world and gave all their energy and attention to Meshuggah.
And rightfully so. They played quite a few of their best songs as well as some off of their latest disc Violent Sleep of Reason which, in my opinion, was the best album of 2016. Meshuggah’s performance was one for the ages, cementing their place as one of the top bands in metal right now. The show and the disc will be talked about for years to come.
SETLIST
Clockworks
Born in Dissonance
Sane
Perpetual Black Second
Stengah
The Hurt that Finds You First
Lethargica
Do Not Look Down
Nostrum
Violent Sleep of Reason
Dancers to a Discordant System
Bleed
Encore:
Demiurge
Future Breed Machine
FourteenG 