NYS Music 20​13

Author: Upstate Metal

  • Review: A Glimpse of CARNIVAL OF MADNESS

    The music playing in the overhead speakers came to a screeching halt, hinting it was time for the insanity known as Carnival of Madness to begin. We As Human was the first to hit the stage, starting their speedy setlist with “Sever” and “Dead Man”. Skillet’s John Cooper accompanied the band for the performance of “Zombie”, and the band finished the set with “I Stand” and their current single “Strike Back”. They left the eager concertgoers hungry for more of their music, but they all knew it was time for In This Moment to carry the torch of madness.

    In This Moment began with the first song from their latest record, “Rise with Me”, the daunting setting intensified as a cool fog rolled across the stage and the two white-masked backup dancers made their way to their posts and waited for Upstate New York’s siren to make her presence known. Maria Brink, clad in a red ringmaster coat and a top hat, stepped onto the platform and grabbed the skull staffs as the band began to play “Adrenalize”. Her dancers then handed her a smoke gun, hinting the next song to play was “Blazin’”, her piercing shriek gave the ever-adoring fans such chills. For the next song, “Whore”, Maria wore a white button down shirt and a plaid mini skirt with a cone hat that read WHORE. At the end of the song, Brink gave the hat to an over-eager fan. In This Moment ended their set with “Burn” and “Blood”. During those two songs, Maria wore a red billowing cape, definitely a fitting outfit for both songs. In This Moment definitely pumped the fans up for Skillet’s heavenly arrival.

    To say Skillet‘s introduction was “awesome” is a huge understatement. They started with a heavy electronic remixed version of “Hero”, the anticipation from the fellow concert junkies growing within every booming second. Finally, Skillet made their presence known, immediately starting their set with “Hero”, quickly followed by “Whispers in the Dark”. John introduced the next song from their latest album, Rise, “Sick of It” to which the fans began to chant with Cooper, then the band went straight into the catchy, heavy-beat song. Skillet then brought out their two musicians who played the strings intro for “Comatose”. The next to be performed was “Rise” and the band surprised their fans with their rising platforms during the performance of “Awake and Alive”. Before Skillet proceeded with “The Last Night”, John gave a brief explanation of the song, of a close friend attempted to end her life, and he wrote the song to say that God is more than willing to give second chances, because everyone deserves them. Afterwards, the band played “Not Gonna Die”, “Circus for a Psycho”, ending the set with “Monster” and “Rebirthing”. Skillet sure did put on a very powerful performance, filled with songs that will haunt the back of the music lovers mind for the rest of the night. Oh, but the madness did not end there. It was Papa Roach‘s turn to reveal what they had in store for us.

    By the looks of it, Papa Roach was more than ready to blow everyone away, starting their set with “Still Swingin’”, proceeded by “Blood Brothers”, and “Give Me Back My Life”. The madness brewing from the crowd was definitely kicked up a notch with Papa Roach‘s killer performance. But the party was really getting started, they continued their set with “Between Angels and Insects”, “Where Did the Angels Go”, and “Burn”. The moshing and head-banging intensified with every waking minute that Jacoby Shaddix was doing what he does best, riling up the crowd with his fantastic pipes. Still, he was not done with heating the fans up with “Forever”, their current single, “Leader of the Broken Hearts”, and their classic, “Scars”. Papa Roach left the very excited crowd with “…To Be Loved”, “Getting Away with Murder”, and their very well known single, “Last Resort”. Now it was time for Shinedown to blow a hole in the stormy sky.

    Shinedown started with a giant black drape set in front of the stage with their symbol in the dead center of it. The lights dimmed, hinting it was time for the madness to continue. Brent Smith’s powerful, melodic voice could be heard from behind the drape as he began to sing “I’m Not Alright”, then the drape dropped and revealed what was really going on behind the curtain. Street performers waving flames around, fire-breathers on the stage, it was the very definition of what is expected of the Carnival of Madness. Shinedown continued their set with “Enemies”, “Devour”, and “Unity”. Through the speedy setlist, they proceeded with “The Crow and the Butterfly”, their fast paced track, “Adrenaline”, and their very moving yet powerful current single, “I’ll Follow You”. The next song to play was “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay, Boom-Lay, Boom)”, the overhead lights spelled out BOOM after each time Shinedown yelled out the word. The thunderstorm outside of the amphitheater began to intensify with every beat of the song and at the last BOOM, a crack of thunder shook the ground, as if God was really rocking out to Shinedown as well. They then continued with “If You Only Knew”, “Amaryllis”, and “45”. But the evening did not end there. Shinedown briefly left the stage, leaving some of the fans chanting their name, begging for more. They then returned to the stage, giving the crowd the encore they’ve all been waiting for: the song that fits their performance perfectly, “Sound of Madness”, “Second Chance”, and their infamous cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s “Simple Man”. Shinedown ended the evening with the first single from their latest record, “Bully”. One mind-blowing way to end the evening.

    All in all, this event was just definitely indescribable. One would have to be there to witness the insanity known as Carnival of Madness. Be sure to check out upcoming tour dates on the website, www.carnivalofmadness.com. This is something you will not want to miss!

  • Review: SICK PUPPIES’ Connecting Performance

    sick_puppies5The lights dimmed and a blue hue lit up the stage as a roar of cheers erupted from the crowd. Fog rolled along the black stage, some of its mist licking the skins of some of the bouncers and fans. Then one by one, Sick Puppies made their appearance, Mark Goodwin (drums), Emma Anzai (bass), and Shim Moore (vocals/guitar). They began their set with the first song from their latest record, Connect, “Die to Save You” followed by “Cancer”, and the album’s leading single, “There’s No Going Back”. The crowd sang along whole heartedly, waving their horns in the air, all so excited to see their favorite Australian trio. Then, Emma dedicated the next song to all the ones who felt that they were different from the rest of the crowd, “Odd One”. Next was “Riptide”, “Maybe”, and “My World”.

    sick_puppies13Sick Puppies did not end their connection with the fans there; they continued with “Connect” then sped up the set with the heavier tunes, “War”, “Gunfight”, and “Pitiful”. After “Nothing Really Matters”, the band slowed the set briefly with “All the Same”, then picked up the haste with “Walking Away” from their new record, finishing the set with their hit single, “You’re Going Down”, to which a sea of bodies began to bounce along to the beat of the song.

    All in all, it was a great set filled with classic songs as well as new catchy ones. Sick Puppies was, indeed, very connecting with their ever-adoring fans. If you haven’t already, check out their latest record, Connect, available for digital download and to purchase at your nearest music store. Prior to the show, Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel had the opportunity to interview Shim Moore, which can be seen below.

  • Old News Out of Albany #3: Biohazard, Sworn Enemy, Born Low and Peaks

    This one’s a bit more recent than my other  “Old News” postings, but as it’s reaching you over a month after the event occurred, I found it appropriate to lump it in that category.

    Anyway, without further ado…..

    Monday, June 17th: Biohazard, Sworn Enemy, Born Low and Peaks at Bogies

    By Jay Frost

    One of the things I love about Bogies is that there’s always something going on nearly EVERY day of the week. Whether you’re seeing Ringworm on a Monday, Soulfly on a Wednesday or Agnostic Front on a Thursday, Upstate Black ‘N’ Blue Productions is famous for pulling big-name weekday line-ups that would blow most other promoters’ weekend acts clear out of the water.  Monday, June 17th is a perfect example, as Albany was hit with a double dose of streetwise, metallic hardcore from the almighty Biohazard and Queens, New York’s Sworn Enemy.

    As always, the best of the local scene was represented by the openers – Before the Betrayer, Trife Life, Peaks and Born Low. Due to my late arrival, I only able to catch the latter two, but the energy and brilliance with which they performed affirmed to me the assertion I’ve been making for months now: that the Albany scene is indeed experiencing another “Golden Age” like that of the mid-nineties.

    Peaks took the stage at 8:30 that night. This four-piece does what so many in the genre have done; that is, they combine their own respective influences from the metal world (mostly grind and noise-core, from what I could hear) with the urgency and stripped-down punk-rock ethic that defines hardcore. Imagine Kiss it Goodbye and later Neurosis at twice the tempo and you have something close to Peaks.

    Peaks unique contribution to the hardcore sound is built on break-neck tempos that occasionally grind down to a crushing stomp beat. Guitar work is straight-forward, minimalist but profound as their sole axe-man lays down lightning-quick rhythms and chunky breakdowns. Peaks’ lead vocalist and the guitarist share the vox responsibility, and deliver an aural razor slash that is as relentless as a drove of killer wasps. Fans of Nails, Insect Warfare and early Pig Destroyer will dig the fuck out of Peaks’ destructive blitz, and those who prefer that old abrasive sound that characterized the early days of hardcore punk will appreciate their traditionalism.

    As is the custom during change-over, the considerable Monday night crowd dispersed, trading the heat and humidity of the dance floor for a cold one at the bar or the refreshing summer evening air outside. Typically, there is enough time between acts to cool off, grab a smoke or a slice from the corner pizza parlor. I did both, but was mindful of every minute for one reason in particular: Albany Hardcore heavyweights Born Low.

    This would be the second time seeing Born Low in less than a month, so I wanted to pay careful and close attention to their set tonight. From what I’ve gathered, Born Low has in recent years become one of the most successful hardcore acts to come out of Albany since Brick By Brick. Though I know very little about the band itself, I’ve certainly not been ignorant to their enormous presence in the scene – take a walk around Albany sometime…from the College Ghetto to the Greyhound Terminal, it’s nearly impossible NOT to find one of their stickers or a flier bearing their name plastered to a wall or the back of a street sign, and with good reason: these guys pound!

    Born Low keep it old-school and in your face, bringing to mind the likes of Sworn Enemy and Merauder. Each slab of brutality these guys put down is held together by intricate, menacing guitar riffs that would make Slayer proud. As unpredictable as a feral animal, Born Low will throw a breakdown at you when you least expect it. If you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, either be prepared to join in on the mosh or take cover… you will get knocked!

    Born Low’s latest offering, Reincarnage, is available online from the Reaper Records merch store or at any show they play. If you love old-school, metallic, bone-crushing hardcore, DO NOT sleep on these guys!

    The excitement reached its peak when Queens powerhouse Sworn Enemy took the stage. Another frequent visitor to Bogies and constant touring partners with Brick By Brick, Sworn Enemy unleashed its brutality upon the world in 1997 under the name Mindset.  2001 saw them donning their present moniker and the release of their debut, Negative Outlook, through Jamey Jasta’s Stillborn label. An instant classic in both the hardcore and metal scenes, the band gained notoriety and name recognition, and in 2003 they released their second full-length, As Real as it Gets, on Elektra Records – a feat that has eluded many of their deserving peers. Along with the I.D.S. EP that fell between these two albums, Sworn Enemy has released five full-lengths to date, the last of which, Total World Domination saw the light of day in 2009 on Regain Records.

    The moments before the melee were like the proverbial calm before the storm: the band most certainly felt at home and were just as excited as their fans, who were now stacked five deep in front of the stage.  Kicking it off with “As Real As It Gets”, Sworn Enemy was in the zone. Through forty-five minutes of classic brutality, including gems like “One Way Trip”, “Sworn Enemy”, “I.D.S.” and their monster of a middle-finger to the face of Top Forty pop-metal,  “We Hate”, which they prefaced with the introductory riffs of Slayer’s “Raining Blood”. From beginning to end, the floor was a flurry of fists and feet.

    The evening ended with an absolutely incredible performance by the one and only Biohazard, the band that brought the gritty sounds of the streets of Brooklyn to the masses. With a sound that crosses a number of genre barriers without sounding contrived, it is hard to pigeonhole Biohazard. To those in attendance, this was inconsequential, and the pit raged on for yet another classic set. Excluding their latest single, “Vengeance is Mine”, Biohazard delighted Bogies with an eclectic mix of old favorites: “Shades of Grey”, “Urban Discipline”, “Five Blocks to the Subway”, “Retribution”,  “Punishment” and “Tales From the Hardside”, just to name a few. New bassist/vocalist Scott Roberts is a perfect addition to the otherwise-original line-up of Billy Graziadei, Bobby Hambel and Danny Schuler, so much so that it leaves you asking “Evan Who?” Grazaidei exemplifies what a frontman should be: humble and passionate. He even invited an inebriated fan who interrupted one of his pre-song monologues with chants of “Greatest Band Ever!!!” on stage for “Black and White and Red All Over”. Success has not changed him, nor has it turned him into an arrogant, self-absorbed rock star.

    As a band, Biohazard is wicked tight, and have no problem reproducing what you hear on studio releases in a live setting. Albany raged that night in the pit, and I sustained my standard head injury during their set – the true testament of a good show, as I am fond of saying. Wrapping the night up with “Hold My Own” , Biohazard killed it that night, and I hope they make it back to the 518 soon!

    Biohazard flier

  • Wintersun/FleshgodApocalypse/Starkill live @ Irving Plaza 8/8/13

     

     

    Starkill 

    The young metalheads from Illinois, Starkill, brought their new material, Fires of Death, to the city once again. This was their second tour this year after having toured with veteran heavy metalers, Hypocrisy, earlier in the year. These guys were no newbies and after having toured successfully, it came to no surprise they will be on the road again. With the main elements of their music; melodic guitars, insane guitar solos, and powerful heavy metal drumming, they definitely brought something worth checking out; fresh, vibrant, nothing cliché. Hopefully young and talented bands like this gain more recognition, but for now Starkill has surely earned more fans and recognition after this tour.

    Instragram: @Starkillofficial

    Youtube/”Infernal Rebirth” official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eam8Um6_WYI

    Fleshgod Apocalypse  

    Highly awaited were the Italian beasts known as Fleshgod Apocalypse. After having extensively toured Europe, and only days away from releasing their new album, Labyrinth, they embarked on this tour. The ear bursting drums and unreal symphonic death metal atmosphere only added to the hype brought by this band. They were certainly a forced to be reckoned with as their fans moshed furiously to their music. On this tour they brought along the soprano singer VERONICA BORDACCHINI, who collaborated in Labyrinth. Her powerful operatic vocals only added to the eeriness of the music, which made for a perfect amalgam of symphonic death metal. They were definitely in no way overhyped, it was death metal at it’s finest, which let’s us know that their future material is definetly something to look out for. Labyrinth has been released via Nuclear Blast records August 16th.

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fleshgodapocalypse

    Youtube: “Elegy” single (Taken from “Labyrinth” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKzmT-VhrnA

    “The Violation” (official video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKzmT-VhrnA

    Wintersun: 

    After a successful co-headlining tour with Eluvietie last year, it came to no surprise Wintersun would be back once more. This time the Finnish heavy metalers would headline across the states. They had fans dying as they yearned their return and their demands were definitely made known to the promoters who made this tour happen. After the success of the long due Time I album, it was no surprise that they once more sold out a New York city venue, this time around Irving Plaza, and last year it was the Gramercy Theater. Wintersun brought along a treat this time around for their devout fans, not only would they play the Time I album in it’s entirety, but also their debut Wintersun album, and a new song from the Time II album, “The Way of the Fire” (expected to be released sometime early next year). Fans chanted along to every song, as they knew the words by heart, and head banged, and moshed to every master piece made by the Wintersun front man Jari Maenpaa.

    Website: http://www.wintersun.fi/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wintersun

    Youtube: “Time” lyric video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alo7A0NLmxU&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL7flOKtf44Q5VHXGV0XITQOPR9lpS79qR

    “Beyond the Dark Sun” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbsFNSxToPE

  • XFACTOR1 Blows Bearfest Away

    The eager concert junkies let out the occasional yelps of excitement as the outdoor music melted into silence. It was time for Xfactor1 to rock the stage and blow everyone away with what they had in store for us. One by one, each band member appeared: Zack (drums), Jerry D (bass), CLok (guitar), Cody (guitar), and QBall Wolf (vocals). They were more than ready to get Bearfest started the right way with “Bring It On.” What they unleashed was something different. Something refreshing and new. In a way, very erratic, if you will. “An xfactor is an unpredictable intangible,” explained Wolf to Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel. “Our name simply means we want to be the number one xfactor in all things and all situations.”

    Xfactor1 continued their set with “It’s My Life” and a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” followed by “Break You.”

    “Xfactor1 song writing is a group effort,” Wolf said. “Usually I will come up with a melody theme, and the guys will run with it until we add our influences. I think that influences are more than just ‘how do you sound?’ It’s attitude, passion, and ideals about life and music. Because of that, Metallica, Pantera, Korn, and other ass kickers come to mind.” These influences can definitely be heard in QBall’s unique voice as they proceeded with “You Suck.” Fans began to wave their horns in the air to the beat of the song followed by head banging.

    “I’m a huge Deftones fan so that would be awesome,” said Wolf when asked if he had the opportunity to collaborate with another artist. “Five Finger Death Punch would be great as well.”

    Before finishing the set, QBall had the fans gather in closer so the band could take a picture with the crowd in the background making an X with their arms in the air, a very similar moment the band shared at this year’s Rock on the Range. “We absolutely love playing the Rock on the Range festival (twice, ’09 and ’13), because it’s held in our hometown of Columbus, OH at Crew Stadium, and it’s like a huge family reunion.” Xfactor1 finished their set with “Never” and “Live Another Day,” leaving the crowd feeling warmed up, yet they wanted more from this killer band. Xfactor1 left the stage to presumably “film porn, party, play Texas Hold ‘Em poker,” according to QBall when asked what they do during their downtime.

    All in all, this band was beyond words. Just an absolutely mind blowing performance filled with catchy songs, and they definitely set the mood right for the night. Be sure to check out the band on Facebook. Their record, Famous.Last.Words was release in June 2012.

    Xfactor1 can put on one hell of a show. One you will not want to miss.

  • Halestorm’s Arejay Hale Talks to Upstate Metal

    Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel had the lucky opportunity to do a phone interview with Grammy-winning band, Halestorm’s drummer, Arejay Hale. They talked about everything from the start of the band to discussing his crazy use of one of his favorite iPhone apps, Vine. But first, let’s go back to the birth of Halestorm.

    “Lzzy and I were on our way to our very first show,” Hale said. “We were playing the talent show contest in 1997, about 16 years ago this year, and we were driving to the venue in our parents’ car, and we were looking at each other like ‘you know, we can’t just go out there and say, ‘Hey, this is Lzzy and Arejay Hale’, you know? We actually have to have a band name that sounds bad-ass.

    “I recall being kind of teased in school, you know? You walk into class and it was like ‘Oh, here comes the Halestorm, and so on our way to our very first show, I was like ‘why don’t we just call each other Halestorm? What if we called ourselves Halestorm?’ She was like, ‘Yeah, that’ll work for now’, and sure enough, 16 years later, it’s still Halestorm!” explained Arejay in a very animated manner. “I guess we’re just influenced by Hanson maybe, I don’t know …It was like, ‘Hey! Their band name is their last name! Let’s do that too! We’ll add a twist to it; we’ll make fun of ourselves and call ourselves Halestorm!’ We don’t really take ourselves seriously.”

    As far as influences go, they range from John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon of The Who to jazz percussionists Buddy Rich and Chief Bey. However, for Halestorm’s latest record, Hale mentioned that he repeatedly listened to Black Stone Cherry’s album, and as a side note, revealed that the band did a studio session before Halestorm. “When we went into the studio to make the new record, we pretty much came right off tour. We really didn’t have a chance to take a break. We didn’t stop, and we just went into the studio. We finished up our last tour, and the next day we flew out to Los Angeles to start writing and recording the new record at the same time.

    “They wanted us to finish the record in two months, which ended up dragging out six months because we wanted to wait ‘til we were absolutely ready. But the first two months of recording were highly influenced by our fans, and the people we’ve met on tour, and the places we went to on tour. Songs like ‘Rock Show’ and ‘Freak Like Me’, those are all kind of just like anthems to the fans. Songs like ‘Love Bites’ and ‘I Miss the Misery’, and all the heavy stuff was really written in the very first two weeks of writing and recording the record. Just because we were still amped up from being on the road, we were still feeling the energy from playing live. When we went into the studio, we put a lot of live energy into the recording, so that was a big influence for us, the very first half.”

    And, of course, the band ran into a bit of an obstacle; they were asked to take a break before they could finish the record, something this very determined band was not willing to do. “Our producer went on vacation and we were like, ‘well, what are we gonna do?’ and they were like ‘go home’, and we were like ‘no, we don’t wanna go home, we wanna finish the record!’ So while everyone was on vacation, we went to our apartment on the beach and that’s when Lzzy started, you know, sitting and writing more of the intimate stuff, like songs like ‘Hate It When You See Me Cry’—It’s on our B Side of our new record—She was also writing stuff like ‘In Your Room’, the more softer side of the record.

    “So when we went back into recording after everyone took a break, Lzzy was kind of starting to get in touch with the softer side, I guess you can say. So, therefore, after listening to Lzzy kind of coming up with these more intimate lyrics and stuff like that, I started thinking more trimming down the music and chipping down everything, and I just wanted to write these more softer, intimate songs. So after that we came up with ‘Beautiful With You’, ‘Break In’, ‘Here’s to Us’, like these kind of like more intimate and about us, than just purely about us. So we went back into recording after that. We had all of these soft songs and we were like, ‘now we have all of these heavy songs and all of these soft songs, so how do we put these together?’ then we came up with the song called ‘Mz. Hyde’, and we were like ‘okay, I get it! We put it together!’ So another influence of the record was the story of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, and that was a really cool concept for the album, and we thought, ‘okay, what if we just show the world both sides of Halestorm? The heavy side and the really intimate side, and we’ll do it on purpose and call it The Strange Case of Halestorm, which was inspired by The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde’.”

    Drexel then revealed that The Strange Case of Halestorm is her favorite record by them and truly loves the song ‘Mz. Hyde’. She also told Hale that she saw them at Carnival of Madness in Baltimore last summer with Evanescence and Chevelle, one of her favorite concerts, aside from seeing them kick ass at Rock on the Range.

    Soon enough, Drexel realized they were both deviating a bit from the interview, and then she proceeded to ask what Hale does on his downtime besides making hysterical Vines. A moment of silence took place before Arejay let out a hearty roar of laughter. “I am so glad my madness has an audience! I was introduced to that app while we were in Europe,” Hale said. “One of my bandmates showed me and started playing with it, and I started using it, and it is the most fun app I’ve ever used because it’s just the perfect amount of time to do something hilarious. Six seconds, then, when it’s done, you can edit it as much as you want, then it loops. It’s constantly on loop and repeat, and that just makes it hilarious. You watch something and you’re like ‘what?!’ then it plays again, and you’re like ‘oh my god!’ and then you play it again and you’re like ‘oh my god! That’s fucking hilarious!’”

    High recommendation from Drexel herself: if you have the Vine app on your smartphone, go follow Arejay. Vine name: Arejay Hale. “Besides that, I try to continue to write on the road,” Hale said. “It’s not easy ‘cause you’re constantly running around doing press, doing meet and greets, you know, try to get some catering whenever you can. My days are long on tour. Definitely on days off, if I do get downtime, I try to write; actually my favorite app in the world is Garage Band on the iPad. It’s great. It’s awesome ‘cause it’s got just the right amount of sound to be creative, but it’s still limited enough for when I’m sitting down and trying to write, I don’t concentrate on all the sounds when it comes to getting the musical idea out. So I like writing on my Garage Band app on my iPad. It’s really easy, it’s really convenient, and I just bought one of those Blue Snowballs, you know. I’ll just plug it in and lay down some vocals and try to put together some demos.

    “My problem is if I have downtime, I hate sitting around, I have to be doing something, and I have to be busy. Same thing when we’re off tour. I go home to L.A. and as soon as I get home, I can’t stand sitting around. I used to be on the go all the time, you know, on tour and constantly having to do something. So when I’m home, I do a lot of writing. I got a studio in my bedroom, my girlfriend, she works in the same studio, she’s got her own band, she does writing and recording and stuff like that, so the two of us will write together when I’m at home. It’s really great. Pretty much anywhere I go, I’m surrounded by talented writers and musicians, and I get to be creative whenever I can. So anytime I’m doing downtime, it involves something with music or something there.”

    Unfortunately, it was time to wrap up the interview with Drexel’s last question, what does music mean to you? “I don’t know any other way of life,” Hale said. “It’s been a part of my life since I was probably, like, five years old. [I] started jamming with my sister in the living room, and now it’s just become the only way of life right now. So for me, music is like air, it’s like just every element that I require to be alive and to be myself is what I think about music.

    “I think that without music, I don’t know where I would be or what I’d be doing. I’m just so lucky I caught the bug early and I was able to pursue my dream and my career at a young age to get me to this point at my age. I’m very, very lucky, so I think music just means everything to me. It’s my life, and I don’t know what else my life would be like without it. I just feel really lucky.”

    Halestorm continues to unleash their inner freak this Fall. Be sure to catch them while you can. They are one band you will not want to miss.

  • INTERVIEW: Before I Had Wings

    My first introduction to this beast of a band came in late February of this year at the second-annual Upstate Black ‘N’ Blue Cabin Fever Party at Bogies.  A four-piece based out of Western Massachusetts, Before I Had Wings follows in the tradition of Hatebreed, Death Before Dishonor, and Shattered Realm with a brand of brutal hardcore that simply destroys. Forming in 2009, BIHW has unleashed their aural assault on unsuspecting towns all over the Northeast, and have become somewhat of a permanent fixture here in Albany.  One listen to their debut Burn the Impure will show you why – as it perfectly captures every nuance of their intense live performance; it will leave you reeling and wanting more.MAD-7775 MAD-7810

    I caught up with three-quarters of Before I Had Wings (vocalist Chris, drummer Nate and bassist Kane) after their set at the Black Phil Memorial Show on Sunday, July 28th. Phil Brewer, guitarist for Albany’s At Arms, lost his battle with cancer recently, and his friends in the scene organized this show to celebrate his life and to raise funds for his family. All three of them were very down to earth and forthcoming with information regarding the history of the band, its future, and – for Kane – a cheerful anecdote about his first time meeting Phil.

    UM: So you guys are from Western Massachusetts; what part of Western Mass do you call home?

    Chris: We’re all from different areas: I’m from Berkshire County; they’re (Kane and D.J. – their guitarist, who was handling merchandise at the time) from Pioneer and Nate’s actually from the Albany Area.

    UM: That’s right, I remember hearing that. So, how long have you guys been doing this now?

    Chris: Before Nate was in the band…all together, like three years. He joined about a year or so ago…Maybe 2009? I think me and the guitarist D.J., we were writing stuff in 2009 but we didn’t start playing shows until 2010.

    UM: So you’ve gone through a few line-up changes since the beginning?

    Chris: Basically, the only line-up change has been the drummer. We had a drummer for a long time, but he decided to quit and Nate took over.

    UM: You guys are lucky! It’s so hard to replace a drummer.

    Chris: I know, especially around our area.

    Kane: Nate’s the best!

    Nate: Thank you!

    Chris: Nate’s got it on lockdown.

    UM: Nice! So anyways, I remember mentioning in one of my reviews of your previous shows that your sound is comparable to bands like Hatebreed and Death Before Dishonor. Other than these two, can you tell me what other bands have influenced you?

    Chris: It’s all different; it depends on who you ask. For me personally, its bands like Shattered Realm and Let it Die, you know? Like ’04-’05 core mixed with beat-down; I like Nasty, I like World of Pain, I like all that shit.

    Nate: Same here, basically. Actually, I like death metal, too, but beat-down mostly – Shattered Realm, World of Pain, Nasty.

    Kane: I’m into New York Hardcore. We don’t sound like that, but I’m influenced by bands like Citizen’s Arrest…

    Chris: We’re not afraid to admit that we’re also influenced by Numetal – bands like Coal Chamber and Machine Head.

    UM: Oh, Coal Chamber and Machine Head are awesome! You can’t argue with that!

    Chris: Yeah, we have Numetal riffs and we’re not afraid to admit it. People call us Numetal, we don’t give a fuck what you call us!

    UM: Absolutely, you guys are fucking awesome and I don’t give a shit what anybody says. I’ll put that in print, too!  Anyways, you guys are straight edge?

    Chris: We’re a straight edge band, we just don’t sing about it. In the past, we’ve tried out non-edge members and nothing ever worked out, and not necessarily because they weren’t straight edge, but because they didn’t make the dedication towards the band. But then recently, we decided that we’re just going to stay a straight edge band, we’ll have straight edge members; it’s not a big deal. We’re not going to sing about it, were not going to put “X”s in our name, but we’re all straight edge and that’s what matters the most. I was in straight edge bands [that sang about it] before, and you basically end up cutting your fan base in half because people don’t want to hear about it.

    UM: That’s cool. So I have your first full-length, Burn the Impure, which is a great album, really heavy and well-done. Do you have anything else in the works?

    Chris: We’re working on something right now, but that’s probably going to take a year, maybe two [to complete]; were not rushing it. We have a title already picked out, but we don’t want to give it away. We’ve got a lot of shit going on next year, so if we start recording? Awesome, if not, you know? We’re just gonna take it slow. We’ve got the eight track Burn the Impure full-length/EP, whatever you want to call it, and then the two-song demo we released earlier this year.

    UM: That’s right! I remember seeing that somewhere online…that’s two new songs?

    Chris: If you go to Stereokiller you can download it for free; it’s “Unworthy” and “Bitter Man”, just look it up…

    UM: Nice.

    Chris: We have older stuff, but we don’t talk about it because we don’t sound like that anymore. We don’t like to bring it up, but if people are really interested, just hit us up. We’ll give you a cd.

    UM: I’d actually like to hear that myself.

    Chris: We were not influenced by the same stuff we are now. Our guitarist will straight-up tell you he was influenced by like Emure back then.

    Kane: Times have changed.

    Chris: Times have definitely changed since then.

    UM: Ok, well we got a good amount of ground covered in five minutes or so. On a final note, say something about Phil. I didn’t know him personally, did you guys?

    Chris: I’m from Western Massachusetts, man. I think Kane…

    Kane: I hung out with him one time, and it was sick! We were at a party at Vinnie [Life Sentence]’s house, and everyone was listening to Trapped Under Ice and like moshing in the living room. Then some girl changed it and put on rap – which was awesome, I thought it was sick – but Phil got all pissed.  He kept trying to run around this girl to change the music, and he had just broken his hand, so he was doing all this weird shit to try and change the music, but he couldn’t really, so that was sick…he was a good dude, though.

    UM: That’s good to know, and it’s good to see that there are so many people out here tonight to support him, even those who didn’t know him…

    Chris: I’ve been going to shows for probably about ten or eleven years. I probably ran into him, I just didn’t know him by name. I probably shook his hand; but it seems like a lot of people cared about him and that’s what matters. That’s what the scene is all about.

    UM: Absolutely, and it seems like hardcore more than any other genre will pull together for a crisis moment or a benefit or memorial. I think that’s great…

    Chris: This is probably the fifth or sixth benefit I’ve been to, if not played…

    UM: Yeah, the Stigmata benefit was pretty wild…

    Kane: I was crushed, literally, like on the floor.

    UM: Ha! Yeah, I caught an elbow to the face for that one. I always say that if you catch a head injury at any point, it’s a good show.

    Chris: We actually get frowned upon for encouraging violent dancing. We’re really into it – we think people, like, frown upon us for it though.

    UM: Yeah, but Scott Vogel and Jamey Jasta do it all the time.

    Chris: It is what it is.

    UM: Right on. So I see you guys have been getting around a lot lately – you’ve been in Connecticut and New Jersey recently. I know you just finished up, but do you see yourself playing Albany again soon?

    Chris: We’ll be back whenever Mike [Valente] or Dan [Asylum] will have us. We’re gonna take a little time off to write, but we’ll be back.

    UM: Well it’s always a pleasure to see you guys; you guys are one of my favorite bands. I listen to Burn the Impure as much as possible. It’s hard though, I’ve got kids in the house and my youngest is just starting to get into music. At four and a half, his two favorite bands are The Ramones and Agnostic Front.

    Kane: That’s real stuff!

    Chris: Yeah that’s good stuff.

    UM: Well it was a pleasure talking with you guys and I’ll see you inside.

  • Preview: NONPOINT and SURRENDER THE FALL Rock the East Coast

    This week, Nonpoint hits the stage with the killer opener Surrender the Fall, in support of the release of their latest self-titled record.

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    Nonpoint:

    Founded in early 1997 by Elias Soriano (vocals) and Robb Rivera (drums) in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The rest of the band members consists of Rasheed Thomas (guitar), Dave Lizzio (guitar), and Adam Wolaszyn (bass). Over the years, the band has released a total of 9 albums and has shared the stage with Hinder, Drowning Pool, 12 Stones, Anew Revolution, Mudvayne, In This Moment, Sevendust, and Buckcherry, as well as recently making an appearance at X-Fest in Syracuse, NY.

    STF_Press_Photo Surrender the Fall:

    Hailing from Memphis, TN, this five pieced band hits the stage to continue supporting their debut record, Burn in the Spotlight, released in September 2012. Members are Jared Cole (vocals), Anthony Pitts (guitar), Eddie Tyre (guitar), Devin Hightower (bass), and Rick Anderson (drums). This past year, Surrender the Fall rocked the stage at Rockapalooza with Candlebox, Saliva, and Mushroomhead. They have previously toured with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Almost Kings, Eye Empire, and My Darkest Days.

    Be sure to check future tour dates on both bands’ Facebook pages. This is certainly a performance you will not want to miss.

  • Review: OTHERWISE Dominates the Stage at Bearfest

    IMG_4239The booming introductory music to Otherwise’s setlist filled the eager ears of the Wise Ones at Bearfest, all crowding in closer and closer to the barricade, animated cheers escaping from them as one by one each band member made their appearance, Corky Gainsford (drums), Vassilios “V” Metropoulos (bass), Andrew Pugh (guitar), Ryan Patrick (guitar), then finally, Adrian Patrick (vocals) emerged from behind the crates. His deep, powerful voice washed over the crowd as he began to sing “Die for You”, the fans shouted out the rest of the chorus as he held out the mic towards them. Next was “Lighthouse” which Adrian dedicated to all the “good girls”, followed by “the song that goes out to all the bad girls”, their party anthem, “Vegas Girl”. The number of fans increased every second, eager for more of Otherwise; however, they were just getting warmed up. The next to play was “Silence Reigns” followed by their single, “I Don’t Apologize”, the fans belting out the lyrics whole-heartedly, their eyes stared in wonder as Otherwise continued to unleash their unbelievable energy.

    IMG_4263The fun didn’t stop there; Adrian then encouraged the Wise Ones to raise their middle fingers as they began to chant, “fuck you” rapidly, starting up the next song, “Full Circle”. This was followed by “Scream Now” and from one of their earlier records, Some Kind of Alchemy, “Stop, Drop, and Roll”. The music changed abruptly to a familiar tune, “Killing in the Name Of” by Rage Against the Machine. Fans head-banged to the rhythm of the song, pumped fists and rocker horns in the air as well as mouthed the lyrics enthusiastically. To say the least, Otherwise did a killer cover. Of course, the band saved the best for last, the song that got their name out there, “Soldiers”. At the end of the song, Adrian jumped off the stage and ran towards the barricade, bringing the mic to the fans and having them harmonize with the band, and then he stood on top of the railing, one hell of a way to end an awesome setlist.

    As always, Otherwise brought their game to the stage. No matter the size of the crowd, they always have a way to connect with their ever-growing fan base.

  • Review: DEVOUR THE DAY Heats Up West Virginia

    IMG_4130The outdoor music came to a screeching halt, bringing a moment of silence to the summer air, a strong hint that Devour the Day was ready to knock everyone out of the ballpark. The setting sun’s light hit the stage as one by one, each band member stepped out from behind; Dustin Schoenhofer (drums), Joey “Chicago” Walser (bass), Jeff James (guitar), and last but not least, Blake Allison (vocals). The band was more than eager to put the pedal to the metal as they started their set with the first track from their debut record, Time & Pressure, “Respect”, definitely the right way to begin the evening with such an explosive track. Following was “You and Not Me”, as the fellow concert junkies stared in amazement as the band rocked out like there was no tomorrow. As soon as “Get Out of My Way” started, the energy from Devour the Day combined with the fans’ was absolutely through the roof, fairly certain the residents across the Ohio border could hear and feel the band’s pulsating power. “Blackout” brought on the heavy head-banging and the drunken loud cheers of excitement. The fans watched with such a thrill as Walser rapidly spun around with his bass, jumping with such glee on his face.

    IMG_4146It was clear that Devour the Day was way past warmed up, as evidenced by the fact that they were dripping with sweat. The summer heat didn’t stop them from continuing their set with “Reckless”, as some of the fans waved their arms in the air to the beat of the song. The pace was nowhere near slowed down as they played “Oath”, finishing the set with “Hand Shakes to Fist Fights” and their current as well as the album’s leading single, “Good Man”, the music lovers singing along very passionately, some dancing to the rhythm. It was definitely the perfect track to end a killer setlist.

    IMG_4138Overall, no other words to describe Devour the Day’s performance except for: WOW. Absolutely mind blowing and an indescribable experience, one would have to witness these moments to get a better understanding of what a superlative show the band puts on. They will be hitting the stage at X-Fest in Syracuse this Sunday. Be sure to check out their debut record, Time & Pressure, available for digital download and to purchase at your nearest music store. Also, check their Facebook page for tour dates or visit their website (www.devourtheday.com). This is a band you will not want to miss!