NYS Music 20​13

Author: Upstate Metal

  • Review: LOVE AND DEATH at Rock on the Range

    Friday, May 17th was the beginning of the memorable event known as Rock on the Range. Starting on the main stage, aka The Monster Stage, was Love and Death. Let’s just say, they started the Fest right.

    After waiting for hours on end in the late afternoon warm, bright, and sunny weather of Columbus, OH, the eager Rangers entered Crew Stadium, immediately making their way to the Monster Stage’s two sided barricades, one on the left and one on the right. The music played in the overhead speakers and the mixed chatter of the Rangers intensified the anticipation. Finally, the music was cutoff and the loud cheering commenced, this was the beginning of one hell of a weekend. Eerie music began to play in the overhead speakers, then one by one, the band members entered the stage, starting with Dan Johnson (drums), Michael Valentine (bass), JR Bareis (guitar), and last but not least, a man with long dreads in his face, head down and arms crossed his torso, walked slowly onto the stage, Brian “Head” Welch. Rangers threw up their horns and cheered excitedly at the sight of Korn’s guitarist.

    “ROCK ON THE RANGE! ARE YOU READY?!” he shouted in his metal growl, grabbing the mic stand roughly, after Johnson began to bang on his drums, starting the beat of the song. “Paralyzed” was the first to be played, the first to start the moshing, and the first to have a concertgoer in a Spiderman suit crowd surf, other fans doing so as well. The familiar headbanging to the beat of the songs warmed up the crowd for the rest of the weekend. By the time “Meltdown” started, JR Bareis began to work his magic with the guitar and had the crowd jumping to the beat of the song. Next was “I W8 4 ‘U”, where Welch encouraged the fans to start circle pits, to which some of them started. Then Head pulled out traffic cone hat and his guitar, indicating their next song, the cover of Devo’s “Whip It”. The mosh pits continued, the crowd surfing intensified, the craziness known as Rock on the Range was in full effect. Next, Head put his guitar away and walked up to the mic. “Rangers…WAKE UP SLEEPY WIDE AWAKE!” he yelled, as the band played the next song, “The Abandoning”. Afterwards, he took the mic from the stand and asked the fans if they were ready for the upcoming bands, after listing each of their names, joked that they were all cancelled. Then he proceeded to pop out one last song, “Chemicals”. The crowd became crazier than usual because it was the song that they all knew since its release. By the end of the song, the band left the stage, but everyone knew it would not be the last time they would see Head on stage, hinting they will see him play with Korn.

    All in all, the setlist was fantastic, the vibe from the crowd and the band was out of control, and it was one hell of a way to start Rock on the Range. Love and Death certainly made their mark that day.

  • Review: HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD Brings it to ROTR

    After the excitement of Love and Death, it was Hollywood Undead‘s turn to rock the stage. The crew began to clear the stage for Hollywood Undead‘s arrival: a synthesizer placed next to the drum kit, and with every checking of the microphones, the fans cheered loudly and drunkenly. The outdoor  music quieted down, hinting Hollywood Undead’s arrival.

    hollywood undeadThe first to make an appearance was J-Dog, who wore a white mask with gas filters on the cheek with a dollar sign drawn on the mouth, and on the forehead, God’s All Seeing Eye, as well as burned eyes that glowed red. With the synthesizer, he played the notes to the band’s first song, “Undead”. Next to appear was Da Kurlzz, wearing a theatrical mask with somewhat terrifying features; great wrinkles, and two half masks: one side sad with an open mouth and the other side, burnt and evil looking. He sat behind his drum kit and hit the beats to the song. Then the rest of the band members made their appearance. Charlie Scene walked out with his guitar wearing a gray bandana that said Charlie Scene and matte black specs. Johnny 3 Tears (vocals) wore a mask with elements of the mosaic with small parts: his signature 3 on the left side of the face and the pattern of butterflies to the right. Funny Man (vocals) wore a mask made of black cloth with a silver pattern on the face similar to the style of Mexican wrestler, Lucha Libre; on the right cheek were three white points and the initials FM on the forehead. Last but not least, Danny (vocals) came out with gold mask with strict features and a Latin cross on the left eye made from bullet casings. After the signature scream of “UNDEAD” by Johnny 3 Tears and Da Kurlzz, Danny sang the rest of the chorus clearly. The crowd began to move to the beat of the music, fist pumped and rocked the horns back and forth.

    They ripped through the next three songs from their 2011 record American Tragedy, “Tendencies”, “Been to Hell”, and “Comin’ in Hot”. At the end of “Been to Hell”, the band briefly went off stage to remove their masks for the remainder of the show. The same Spiderman crowd surfer from the Love and Death performance made his presence known yet again as other Rangers followed his example, one of them wearing a black body suit, and another fan holding a sign that read “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY SHOW ME YOUR TITS” while crowd surfing. Through the speedy setlist, Hollywood Undead ended their setlist with “Everywhere I Go”, where their drummer wore a horse head to try to follow the band’s footsteps, and the Rangers waved their arms from side to side to the rhythm of the song. The song was followed by the first single from their latest record, Notes from the Underground, “We Are”, where the fans, yet again, waved their arms from side to side.

    All in all, Hollywood Undead exceeded everyone’s expectations and gained new fans through their fantastic performance. The setlist was great, the vibe was unbelievable, and the tunes will be haunting the back of every Rangers’ minds.

  • Death to All/Celebrating the Life and Music of Chuck Schuldiner at Irving Plaza 4/24/13

    The 7th date of the second run of the Death to All tour left it’s mark on the NYC metal scene. The tour has proven successful despite the bumps and bruises to the inaugural run, yet the spirit of the great Chuck Schuldiner and its devout followers has kept it going. Now there it was again, a packed show at Irving Plaza with die hard Death fans eagerly waiting since early in the afternoon, to pay tribute to what most would agree is the Godfather of Death metal; and the man who single handily reinvented a whole genre.

    The Human-era lineup was in charge of reliving the beauty of performing Death songs live. This time around with Max Phelps (Cynic) on vocals, who in the eyes of many was more than a perfect suitor to honor Chuck’s vocals on stage.

     ( Me, as a photographer at the show , I cannot yet find the words to describe the emotion of the crowd. One thing is for sure, the show was filled with die hard fans, nothing less. The crowd surfers began raining on us, the second Death came on stage.  During our first three songs, in which we are allowed to shoot up close, we had to  be removed from the photo pit as the as the security guards were having a hard time keeping up with so many people at once.)

    All one can see was the great mass of head banging fans, and never ending moshpits as some of the best Death songs were being performed. The set list was concrete and nothing short of amazing, that included songs from “Flattening of Emotions” to “Pull the Plug”, and “Lack of Comprehension.” At one moment before the nigh concluded  there was very touching, and emotional moment for all the venue that night. As footage and photos of Chuck Shuldiner were being played everyone grew quiet and some teared up. We all understood had all been united that night to honor that man on screen, and the legacy that he had left behind. That night we had all been part of honoring his memory and the charity dedicated to him which is Sweet Relief. One can only hope there will be more chances for the Death fans to gather and honor a hero, and help a honest cause which in it of itself is what Chuck would had wanted us to do.

  • Album Review: ONYX by POP EVIL

    71evNyUBTsL._SL1425_Pop Evil released their fourth record, Onyx, earlier this week on May 14th, just before their performance this Saturday at Rock on the Range. This 12 track record is filled with the absolute right amount of explosive beats and killer guitar riffs, all very catchy. This record is one hell of a roller-coaster, so strap in, this is going to be a wild one.

    “Goodbye My Friend” was definitely a good way to start the album and it gives a feel of what the rest of the record is going to sound like, as Leigh Kakaty’s powerful and unique scream accompanies the killer tunes. “Deal with the Devil” carries on the dark, melodic torch that is Onyx, which was followed by the album’s leading single, “Trenches”. This track was the right choice to be made third on the album that way it can keep the listeners anticipating this amazing song; the mesmerizing guitar riffs fill the speakers, then once Chachi hits those drums rhythmically, you know it is time to start rocking out hard. “Torn to Pieces” slows everything down a little bit and it sounds very similar to “100 in a 55”. The pace is then picked up with the ever-empowering “Divide”, the kind of song that makes you bounce up and down as well as bang your head a little bit. The pace is continued with “Beautiful”, a great hard rock love song, with a chorus that will haunt the back of your mind. The record slows down a little yet again with the powerfully written ballad-like song, “Silence & Scars”. This roller-coaster of an album suddenly speeds up with “Sick Sense”, an electronic beat as an intro to the song and Kakaty’s powerful scream brings in the head-banging chorus. This was followed by “Fly Away”, a song with incredible guitar riffs yet it is a song that is a bit hard to describe. “Behind Closed Doors” slows everything down and sets a very dark, heart-breaking tune, especially with some of the lines from the chorus: “Mix a little bit of love and violence / mix a little bit of truth and lies / I see you, I feel you…”. A very love-hate relationship type of song, if you will. “Welcome to Reality” opens the eyes of the listener of the truth of a harsh reality and Kakaty, through his scream, emphasizes that once you enter that reality, “you can never go back”. The final track, “Flawed”, sums up the album through the darkness of the intro, sucking the listeners into the blackness that is Onyx. It is filled with incredible riffs and a powerful yet catchy chorus.

    All in all, Pop Evil did a kick-ass job with this record and they’ve come a long way. Onyx gets Pop Evil‘s fans ready for their upcoming tour and their show this Saturday at Rock on the Range. Onyx is available for digital download and you can pick it up at your local music store.

    Overall Rating: 5/5

  • The Gaia Theory Interview

    Here’s another band who answered my call for a written interview on the 315 Street Team Page. The Gaia Theory a type of metal best called Electronicore hails from Massena NY.

    Nick was the front man for the short lived yet face melting band In Seven Days. Aleskey (Guitarist) also has a electronica side project called “Word Child” which you can find on sound cloud. The Gaia Theory is currently at a stand still since they’re looking for a guitarist, bassist and a keyboard/synth player so if you think this music is up your ally hit them up! They were also featured in my compilation video “Music For You EarHole” which is where you can give their music a listen or it up FB and listen to some tracks they have up on the music player.

    (Steve) First off is it ok if I asked what happened to In Seven Days?

    (Nick) haha yeah its fine… Uhh ya know we hit a standstill and things just weren’t going the way we wanted and we all wanted different things for the band.. After our last show I quit the band and it just died out after I left..

    (Steve) How did you get together with your new band mates after the split?

    (Nick) I actually gave up on music for a few weeks just needed time to myself…. But then I got off my ass and wanted to get back into playing because it’s my life. So I posted adds on Craigslist looking for people to fill the spots and that’s when I found Aleksey (guitarist) the and it went from there haha

    (Aleksey) Yea basically, I had a post on craigslist and so did he, it was like destiny haha. And the rest of the mates we just found over time.

    (Steve) Give a brief description on what The Gaia Theory is and why you decided to name your band this?
    (Aleksey) The Gaia Theory is a scientific theory that basically states, that all living and non-living organisms on earth, work together in a constant utopian method to form a self-regulating environment, that basically contributes to maintaining life on earth. The name Gaia derives from the Goddess Gaia, who was the Goddess of Earth, and as mythology states, the mother to all gods. We chose the name, because it seemed to work with the style of music were playing, this whole concept of everything working together harmoniously, to create a stable sound haha. Plus the name sounds cool as hell.

    (Steve) Does anything from this idea affect your lyrics?

    (Nick) umm not at all ya know each song I write has its own story. Like one will be about death and gore. And then another will be about hope and uprising… Each song has its certain sound and lyrics meant for each other.. I also listen to what the band has come up with and I close my eyes and vision what it makes me think of.. And then write the lyrics

    (Steve) How does the writing process go for you guys? Does each individual person bring their own pizazz to the band or is it directed as a whole?

    (Aleksey) I mean it’s hard to say, sometimes it’s just directed as a whole, and other times we all bring in something different. We all come from different musical backgrounds, for example I come from a pure classical background. Our drummer comes from more of a punk/hardcore background, and so on. For the most part, we try to write everything together, my last band I was in, I basically had to write all the music, and that tends to be a lot of unwanted pressure, because then I have to keep in mind what I like and what every single person in the band likes. So I for the most part am trying to avoid taking that type of responsibility again.

    (Steve) Who does your artwork?

    (Nick) Aleksey and I do the artwork for the band

    (Steve) Nick you told me that your guitarist was from Russia, Does he give you guys a….worldly sound haha just joking. What kind of influence does he bring to the band?

    (Aleksey) To start off I’m Ukrainian haha, and I don’t think I do, except for the occasional slip of my accent, and the random folk strumming, can’t say I bring much of an Slavic ethnic musical background to the mix, but it might be a good idea to try.

    (Steve) Do you guys do your own recording? If so could you give any tips on to do this as a band starting out?

    (Aleksey) Well our current tracks we have up, I did the recording for them, and this was the first time I’ve ever done this type of recording. I’m used to producing electronic style music, but live music was new to me. For the most part were going to be doing self-recordings. It’s cheaper and we have full control over the final sound. The only tips I got, is find the software you want to use, read up on it, or YouTube the shit out of it, and just get started on it, you’re not going to sound good at first, I guarantee it. A big tip I got when recording guitars, for each guitar part record it 4 times, pan one side all the way right, one all the way left, and the other two pan 75% in each direction. It will create a fuller sound, trust me on that, it’s the only reason our recordings sound half decent, and make sure in the mixing process you equalize everything and throw compressors on everything. Otherwise, the beauty of this age is that it is the information age, use the internet to your advantage, there isn’t anything you can’t learn online.

    (Steve) You said you’ll be ready for shows this summer, do you have any lined up already or are you just waiting till you get to that step?

    (Aleksey) We don’t have any lined up, but we have connects, Nick and our drummer have access to the whole upstate New York scene, and being from Brooklyn, I got a bunch of connects down there and other parts of the tri-state area. Plus, recently since the upload of our latest track, we have been offered shows left and right. So were not too worried about landing shows, were mostly concerned about finishing up our set, and being read

  • SKILLET Graces Us with Their Performance at ROTR

    From Memphis, Tennessee, Skillet, a Grammy-nominated Christian rock/metal band with their never disappointing shows is ready to blow the crowd away this weekend at Rock on the Range for the second time since their performance in 2010.

    skillet2013Founded in 1996 by lead singer and bassist, John Cooper and former guitarist Ken Steorts, both musicians met through two different bands, Cooper from Seraph and Steorts from Urgent Cry. The bands toured together briefly before disbanding, then John and Ken were encouraged by their pastor to start their own side-project. Soon enough, Skillet was formed with another member, Trey McClurkin (former drummer) and they signed with the major Christian record label, ForeFront Records. Later that same year, their self-titled debut album was released into the world. In 1997, the band announced they were to drop another record, Hey You, I Love Your Soul, released April 1998.  In their record, a noticeable change was made known as they went from post grunge to a lighter alternative rock style. Through this change, Cooper’s wife, Korey, joined as a touring member on keyboards. Through the years of 2000 till 2002, they released three albums, Invincible, Ardent Worship, and Alien Youth. During this time span, quite a few changes were made to the band; Steorts left in 2000 to be with his family and to launch a college in Memphis (Visible Music College) and Kevin Halaand replaced him as their new guitarist; Korey became a permanent member as keyboardist; and McClurkin left and was replaced by Lori Peters. Before the release in 2001, Halaand left the band and the position was taken over by Ben Kasica.

    The 2003 release of Collide blessed the band with more incredible changes and some in the new future, like Lava Records, a division of Atlantic Records signing them. Then, in 2005, the album was nominated for a Grammy under the Best Rock Gospel Album. October 3, 2006, another incredible record was dropped, Comatose, which was nominated for another Grammy for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album. In early 2008, it was announced that Peters was retiring and had trained Skillet’s new drummer, Jen Ledger, during the Christmas season. Their eighth record, Awake, was successfully released in 2009 with the top singles, “Hero”, “Awake and Alive” and “Monster”. Grammy nominated producer, Howard Benson, produced the album and the band lost another member (Kasica) and gained a new one, Seth Morrison. In March of 2011, Skillet released an EP with remixed versions of their songs from the Awake record: Awake and Remixed EP. Their single, “Awake and Alive”, was featured on the recent Transformers franchise soundtrack. In early 2012, the band announced that they were in the studio ready to work on their next record, Rise, scheduled to be released June 25, 2013, and their current three singles are “Sick of It”, “American Noise”, and “Rise”.

    Be sure to catch the Skillet’s mind-blowing performance this Sunday at Rock on the Range.

  • IN FLAMES To Make a Fiery Appearance at ROTR

    All the way from Gothenburg, this killer Swedish metal band is set to play this Friday at Rock on the Range. This will be In Flames’ first time playing the event.

    634369012902690000In Flames was formed by Jesper Strömblad in 1990 originally as a side project from his band at the time, Ceremonial Oath, which he left in 1993 to focus on working on In Flames’ music. During that year, he recruited the band’s then-guitarist, Glenn Ljungström  and then-bassist, Johan Larsson. That same year, they self-produced their debut studio record, Lunar Strain, and since there was no vocalist in the band, Jesper asked Dark Tranquility’s Mikael Stanne to provide the vocals. The next year, the record was dropped. 1995 was a busy year for the band; In Flames gained a full time drummer, Björn Gelotte, and an official vocalist, Anders Friden, then later that year, they released their sophomore album, The Jester Race. In 1997, the band released their third record, Whoracle and added two more members, Niclas Englin as the guitarist, and Peter Iwers as the bassist. At the end of their tour in 1998, Englin quit the band and In Flames switched Gelotte from drums to guitars and hired a new drummer, Daniel Svensson. The next two years had the band on their feet and they released two records in that time frame, Colony and Clayman.

    From 2002 till 2008, In Flames continuously released records every year, Reroute to Remain, Soundtrack to Your Escape, Come Clarity, and A Sense of Purpose. Niclas returned briefly in 2006 then left again, coming back to tour with the band in 2009. In 2010, the band released their tenth album, Sounds of a Playground Fading and in 2011, the band signed with Century Media, and that same year, In Flames gained Englin as their current guitarist.

    All in all, through the many fiery years, In Flames is ready to show everybody what they’ve got up their sleeves and blow them all away. Rangers, get ready for Sweden’s very own In Flames.

  • Papa Roach will be performing at Rock on the Range

    Papa Roach med res press shot Oct 2012_LROriginating from Vacaville, California, amazing rock band Papa Roach, who we all have grown to love over the many years has returned to the main stage at Rock on the Range for the fourth time since their last performance in 2010.

    The band first started in early 1993 with high school friends, Jacoby Shaddix (vocals), Dave Buckner (ex-drummer), Will James (ex-bassist), Tobin Esperance (current bassist) and Jerry Horton (guitar) meeting each other over the years and created something incredible. They chose the name Papa Roach from Shaddix’s step-grandfather, Howard William Roatch, whose nickname was Papa Roach.

    Papa Roach released their debut and self-produced record, Old Friends from Young Years, in February 1997. In 1999, the band signed with DreamWorks Records and in 2000, released their debut major-label triple-platinum record, Infest, with the hit single, “Last Resort”. In 2003, the band released their third gold album, Lovehatetragedy, with the first single being, “She Loves Me Not”. Though it did not sell as well as the first record, it was marked as a change in their music style, from nu-metal to rock. By 2005, the band released their fourth platinum record, Getting Away With Murder, with the two leading singles, “Getting Away With Murder” and “Scars”.

    2006 and 2007 were changing years for Papa Roach, as Shaddix lost his great-grandfather who committed suicide after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. The band gave their respect to him with their fifth album, The Paramour Sessions, as well as while playing live performances of one of their songs, “Roses On My Grave.” On April 25, 2007, it was announced that Dave Buckner was leaving the band due to personal issues. He was replaced with Papa Roach’s current drummer, Tony Palermo. In 2009, the band announced their sixth record, Metamorphosis, with the leading singles, “Hollywood Whore”, “I Almost Told You That I Love You”, and “Lifeline”. In 2010, the band switched record companies to Eleven Seven Music and released their seventh record that same year, Time For Annihilation, with the leading single, “Kick in the Teeth”. Their recent record, The Connection, was released on October 2, 2012, with the hit single, “Where Did the Angels Go?”

    Papa Roach has toured with Nickelback, Motley Crue, Halestorm, and many more. Last summer, they were part of the Uproar Festival and shared the stage with Shinedown, Godsmack, In This Moment, and Adelitas Way.

    This is one of the highly anticipated performances at Rock on the Range and one that will have the crowd buzzing with excitement.

  • Paganfest IV: Ensiferum,Týr, Heidevolk, Trollfest, & Helsott/Pagan feast at Gramercy Theater

    The last date of the fourth annual Paganfest hit the Big apple this last Sunday night at Gramercy Theater. It came as no surprise that the show was sold out weeks ahead of time, which of course added more to the hype of the great Pagan feast. This year’s line-up consisted of USA’s own Helsott,(who were the new comers of the the tour) also an angry colony of Norwegian wasps known as Trollfest, along with Heidenvolk from the Netherlands. Co-headlining, from the beautiful Faroe Islands, came the viking warriors known as Tyr, and finally, Finland’s finest warriors, Ensiferum, which made a triumphant return to the States.

    Helsott

    It’s safe to say that Helsott held our nation high up at the viking fest, showing that we Americans can also hear the call of the pagan gods. They moved the crowd more than expected, of course as only a few knew of them, which attest that they definetly left with new fans. Never the less they did not hesitate to demonstrate their gratitude towards the fans, promoters and others in the bill of supporting them during this tour. During the last songs of their set, the Norwegian band of Trolls, Trollfest felt the need to invade the stage, cheerfully running around, throwing paper around, and just plainly having fun with Helsott as they concluded their set, which of course was hilarious and fun to watch. Paganfest

    Trollfest

    As trollfest began their set, one could only wondered what was the deal with the bee outfits. Then it became apparent that it suited their music perfectly. Their last album release was “Brumlebassen” which is not surprisingly about bees, though these guys need to be given an A+ for creativity. Yet as hilarious as the theme may seem, the NYC crowd definitely was filled with fans of the band, and sure knew how to enjoy true Balkan metal. As they concluded their set, Helsott thought it was time to re pay the earlier visit of the Norwegian trolls. They snuck into stage, threw paper planes out into the crowd, and partied along side the members of Trollfest with hilarious party hats, and obviously booze. Though we cannot forget that one of the most memorable moments of the night was finely the perfectly executed wall of Death.

     Heidevolk

    Then they came… The dutch warriors known as hedeivolk to Paganfest. One cannot simply get over the mighty testosterone display on stage. They were supporting their latest album Batavi which is an ode to their Germanic ancestors and roots. It was simply amazing. The two singers tore it down, with powerful vocals that gave life to the beautiful Dutch lyrics accompanied by the band itself, which produced a perfect amalgam of real folk metal.

    Týr

    Hailing from the beauftiful Faroese Island came Tyr. It is not a surprise that they have a solid fan base here in the states. The crowd chanted along to songs with beautiful and meaningful lyrics; such as “Hold the Heathen Hammer High” & “Shadow of the Swastika” that were full of Pagan lore, along with their message of justice, tolerance and peace. Most certainly the female crowd had also their share of the fun on stage, as they were definetly enjoying the view of great looking Viking men.

    NOTE: There was an issue with the uploader with certain TYR photos the rest can be found here:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/kassandra_k_carmona/sets/72157633466978129/

    Ensiferum

    The fourth chapter of the annual Paganfest marked the triumphant return of the Finnish sword-bearing warriors known as Ensiferum. Their lastest release: “Unsung Heroes”certainly left their fan base in the States anxiously awaiting their return. Not much can be explained about their performance as one would lack the words to describe it… the fans went mad, crazy, and dazed. This was certainly the way to finish a great night of feasting the way Vikings did, with lots of alcohol and dancing.

  • POP EVIL Ready to Blow the Crowd Away at ROTR

    pop-evil-001-credit-jamyme-thornton-From Grand Rapids, Michigan, Pop Evil returns to Rock on the Range to make their mark for the third time since their last performance in 2011.

    Pop Evil wasn’t always known as Pop Evil. Before in 2001, the band was called TenFive when Leigh Kakaty started it and they were formed through different Michigan bands. In the years 2004 and 2006, the band released two EPs independently, War of the Roses and Ready or Not. By November 2007, the band signed with G&G Entertainment and that same year, they lost their bassist, Jaime Nummer, and Matt DiRito joined as the band’s current bassist.  Pop Evil’s debut album, Lipstick on the Mirror, was released August 2008, featuring the singles, “Hero”, “Somebody Like You”, “100 in a 55”, and “Stepping Stone”. In 2010, Pop Evil announced their third record was in the works then at a concert in Columbus, Ohio, the band symbolically ripped their contract with Universal Republic to work with eOne, and there, they announced the release date of the new album, War of Angels, which dropped in July 2011. During that year, former drummer, Dylan Allison suffered a neck injury and was forced to quit the band. Josh “Chachi Riot” Marunde filled in as the current drummer. On April 6, 2012, Pop Evil announced the departure of their former guitarist, Tony Greve, who was quickly replaced with Nick Fuelling. As of May 14, 2013, the band released their fourth record, Onyx, with the two leading singles, “Trenches” and “Goodbye My Friend”.

    Check out the band’s latest record and this is one band you will not want to miss this weekend.