Artist
Leigh Kakaty is the vocalist for Michigan rock act Pop Evil. Formed in 2001, Pop Evil has gone on to sell over a half million singles, with multiple top-charting singles, all while obtaining road-dog status by exclusively living out on the road. Their most recent LP "Onyx" was released last month. Watch the video for their hit single, "Trenches" at the bottom of this post.
Thank you to all our fans and radio supporters!
It seems like just yesterday we were back in Western Michigan hustling to get Pop Evil songs played on our local radio station on the Sunday night locals only show. Now all these years later, rock radio has helped us reach our first No. 1 with our single "Trenches," off our new album, Onyx.
This blog serves as a thank you to rock radio for still believing in independent bands and in the music. It is so refreshing to see the hard work finally starting to pay off. When we first came on the national scene in 2008, it has been a constant grind. The Midwest "blue collar" mentality has been very much a part of the way we have toured and approached radio—full speed ahead. "One city, and one fan at a time." We can make a difference, and rock and roll can change lives.
We couldn't of done any of this without the fans, though. All of you are the proof and have given us strength to fight out of the "Trenches." Thank you to all of you who have been with us during this incredible ride. We can't wait to continue touring and expand our fan base as our next single is suddenly on the horizon.
How we handle adversity and deal with temptation determine the kind of character we have, both as individuals and as a band. This next single we are about to drop deals with these issues head on.We all continue to get better with age and experience. A wise man once said, "When you play, you better deal with the Devil." Along with this new single, we look to release what we believe is our best video yet. This is guaranteed to have both your mind and your eyes running in circles. Right along with the video, we have new artwork that compliments both the song and the video, which can be seen below. Look for the official release date of our second single off Onyx sometime in August!
Mark Hunter is the vocalist and founding member of Cleveland metal act Chimaira. For more than a decade, Chimaira has been imposing its gravity on the metal community by continually touring the globe and selling more than a million albums worldwide. Their brand of heavy music has evolved and transcended both itself and the trends while maintaining its persistent, bludgeoning force. The band will release Crown of Phantoms on July 30th. Watch the video for the new song "No Mercy" at the bottom of this post.
breathe |brēð|
"No breathe, no life."
—Mr. Miyagi
Summer, 2006. We had just finished headlining the "Sounds of the Underground" European tour when I took the first step towards what would become a major life transformation. The catalyst was an interest in weight training. That year, I was terribly out of shape, often sick with colds and bronchitis. I needed to improve my health. I hated feeling like crap on tour, and I didn't want to burn out. Something had to change.
A big influence on me was our drummer at the time, Andols Herrick. He was all about fitness and used science, data, and logic to back up his advice. He was ahead of the curve in many aspects, and to this day I follow a good amount of what he recommended. He taught me the basics of weight training and nutrition, as well as recommended websites and experts to follow. After I hit the gym hard for a few months, his advice started to work, and I started to take an interest in the science of it all.
Weight training led me to nutrition. At first I used food as "fuel" to put on size, but years later I discovered that understanding the foods we eat could help with disease, stress management, and overall self-improvement. Not only for me, but those close to me. This process has not been easy by any means. We live in an era of disinformation, trendy diets, and Netflix documentaries confusing people with propaganda. What do we really know about food?
I am far from an example of perfect health, and I'm the furthest thing from an expert on wellness, fitness, or nutrition, but for being a band guy, who are stereotypically known as out of shape alcoholics, I can honestly say that I'm pretty darn healthy. I rarely get colds anymore, I have no sign of disease, and my blood work is phenomenal. How much of this can be attributed to diet and exercise? A good chunk, but there is much more to the equation. One rather interesting aspect that tends to be overlooked is the basic function of life: breathing.
It's amazing how much breathing plays a role in overall self-improvement, and it can be utilized in several different ways. With singing, I had to learn to breathe properly. During my FarmClub performance in the year 2000, you see a guy that's out of breath at the end of the song. While I certainly put my all into it, and was definitely out of shape, I didn't know how to breathe correctly. With weight lifting, I had to learn how to breathe in a completely different manner so I could build up stamina as well as increase my gains. Stress management, controlling my brain, enhancing creativity, all different outlets that I used breathing to improve. Right now, to remain focused and calm while writing this, I am concentrating on my breath.
I started to practice meditation in 2011. I became heavily involved with self-exploration and learning to operate my brain. Shutting off for 10-30 minutes a day, sitting outside with my eyes closed, breathing. Concentrating on every breath. If you've ever tried Yoga or watched a Yoga video, I breathe in a similar fashion. Slowly breathing in for 8-10 seconds, holding for 8-10 seconds, then exhaling for 8-10 seconds. No, I don't wear Yoga pants. I was blown away by how much breathing helped me improve my skills, confidence, and health.
Now before you get the image of me sitting lotus-style with incense burning and Buddhist tapestries all over the wall, I assure you that you don't need any of that to meditate. Although I have participated in the above-mentioned way, it was mainly for a laugh, and did nothing to enhance the experience. No magic minerals or crystals are necessary. You can meditate anywhere, anytime. It's all about shutting down your brain and breathing. Stop thinking about whatever it is you are thinking about, and shift all focus to your breath. Think about nothing. Try it next time you feel on edge.
At first it's a bit difficult because it seems as though every single thought you could have wants to rush in and flood your mind all at once. The trick is not to follow any of those thoughts and keep the focus on your breath. I find ambient music or the sounds of nature are the best to help with this. There are a few clips on YouTube that offer music to guide you. I like the spacey, ethereal stuff or sitar music from India. I'd love to make a relaxation album like this, and just might. It would be quite the opposite of what you're used to from Chimaira.
Stress management has been an area of interest of mine for many years. I used to be extremely uptight, worrisome, and ornery. I never knew how to calm down. I had panic attacks in my teens, and a few more in my 20s and early 30s. Stress is a silent killer. I started to see how methods of Zen mixed with exercise, and a good diet, was making me feel better than ever.
Angry? Breathe. Sad? Breathe. Anxiety? Breathe. Happy? BREATHE! People are always looking for a panacea, or a "cure-all"—this certainly is a candidate, and it's FREE! The more you practice the better you get. The more you mediate the deeper you go. The deeper you go the more you realize. The more you realize the more you improve. The more you improve the better you will feel and perform…and so on and so on.
Fans always thank me for lyrical content, which they say, helps them through their day or certain emotions. While diet, exercise, and meditation are common sense things, it's amazing how often we disregard them, forget about them, or neglect them. Then we wonder why we feel like crap. Maybe besides lyrical content, this blog can help you to remember how to feel great. Just breathe.
Thanks for reading and don't forget our new album, Crown of Phantoms, hits stores July 30th!
Below are a few references if you are interested in learning more about the benefits of meditation.
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/features/meditation/
http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-breathing-exercises-for-relaxation
http://blog.ted.com/2013/01/11/4-scientific-studies-on-how-meditation-can-affect-your-heart-brain-and-creativity/
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-meditate
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-training/SM00028/NSECTIONGROUP=2
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=60918
And if you really want to go far into the depths of your mind, check this out!
Part tomboy, part femme fatale, Zeena Koda is a SiriusXM DJ, vocalist, journalist, and lover of all things hardcore. You can catch her radio show Monday through Saturday on SiriusXM Liquid Metal and watch her inquisitive feminist side via her video web series Boxx Talk and Ask A Bombshell. Rot and roll, baby!
The path to self-revelation is paved with many milestones. For Jeanne Sagan, the multi-talented bassist of All That Remains, the wild journey has led her to a new level of confidence. Reserved yet passionate, Jeanne stands out as a woman of musical depth who has also clocked in her time scholastically and professionally within the veterinary world. She possesses a humble optimism that many musicians at her level may not share, and within minutes of speaking with Jeanne, you realize how down to earth she truly is. Touring extensively throughout the summer and poised to infiltrate new sets of ears on ATR's forthcoming U.S. tour with Volbeat, Sagan takes things one day at a time and savors those precious rare personal moments.
ZEENA KODA I read somewhere that you started off doing merch for Prosthetic Records. How did you transition into playing heavy music?
JEANNE SAGAN Originally I played trumpet and I was in drum corps, complete music nerd-dom. We actually traveled in a school bus, which is quite different than traveling in a tour bus, playing competitions. When I got to college, some friends from high school were staring a band and asked me to play with them. I started jamming and being in different bands. It's just kind of been a whirlwind since then. Further down the line, I was working merch for Prosthetic and had a bunch of friends in bands when I heard that All That Remains needed a bass player. I said, 'Yeah, I'll do it.'
You mentioned that you went to college. What did you study in school?
I have a bachelor's degree in Animal Science and I've worked a couple of "real jobs" in that realm. Actually, my last real job was in an animal hospital and I used to work in an aquarium. I'm still interested in vet tech work!
Side convo since you mentioned animals: Do you happen to know Rachel from Most Precious Blood? She's a huge pit-bull lover and fellow animal enthusiast.
No, but she was one of my heroes when I first started playing hardcore shows because I was really into that whole scene, which is how I got into underground music period. I'd see Rachel with Indecision, I'd see Candace [from Walls of Jericho] up there kicking ass and it was just like, Wow. I never thought I had the guts like them, but I just kept fucking with it and gave it a whirl.
What do you think is one of the biggest challenges in being involved in such a male-dominated scene, especially with a band like All That Remains that has such a masculine fan base?
There is always the "hottest chicks" label that is thrown around and is inevitable, but if you aren't someone who is considered "the hottest chick" because you don't throw yourself out there like that, it's kind of hard to be perceived and taken seriously. It's almost as if "you're just another girl in some band" and it makes it a little harder in a way. At the same time, you're still looked upon for "not dressing in heels" and now "you're not hot, now you're ugly." [Laughs] The whole concept is kind of stupid and it's a double-edged sword either way.
Do you ever feel you're viewed differently because you aren't one of those kinds of girls?
I'm still kind of debating on that because, yeah, I'm a tomboy, but I definitely enjoy makeup and like being a rock chick. I'm becoming informed. I started wearing more fitting clothes in my 20s and it's really just me becoming more confident through the band. Maybe I will want to wear more makeup or something that shows cleavage one day, it's more about me being more confident in my body and with myself. Maybe that's why many people enjoy looking at the "hottest chicks" lists because they are confident with their bodies. I'm trying to look at it positively. No one has really questioned my ability or reasons for being here.
Is there anything surprising about the music industry that hit you along the way?
People's perception about how much money we make is funny and how much work really goes into it.
When you're touring, are there any challenges for you as a woman?
I used to be shocked by things but now I am just so used to it, "Oh there's girls backstage. Oh, there's a drunk guy, whatever." None of that is crazy to me anymore, but what is crazy to me is people still singing your songs. I'm still in shock by some of these shows we play and think to myself, Really? Where am I? We recently played a festival with Guns N' Roses—if I told myself at 10 years old, when I was in love with GN'R, that I would be playing shows with them, I would have been like, "No way."
Do you ever feel disconnected with the dating world since you are on the road so often?
To be honest, I haven't had a real boyfriend in five or six years because I'm completely dedicated to my band and everything we do. I have so many other great things going on with my life that it can wait or when the time is right. I love my family and friends, so I'll take that. [Laughs]
Is there any golden advice that you have for a woman coming up in this business?
If you want to live your dream, don't worry about what other people think. Fuck it. Do it. It's not going to matter what other people think, you need to have a stronger mentality when people want to pick you apart, it goes for anything in life.
What's your one weird girly thing—because I know every woman has one?
I enjoy wearing dresses at home, but never do while we're on tour. My bandmates always freak out when they see me in a dress. When I'm on tour, I just want a band T-shirt and jeans. I try to be as comfortable as possible. I don't care if my hair isn't done. They have seen me at my best and worst. Lately, I've been wearing more makeup though, and because they're like my brothers, they poke fun at me a little.
You have a big U.S. tour coming up with Volbeat and HIM, but All That Remains come from hardcore roots. As a band, you've migrated to more mainstream audiences. How has that evolution been?
I try not to over think it much. Coming from the hardcore scene, you are used to the physical aspects of the show and people are into it. Playing big festivals to a more radio crowd, it's a contrast because people are standing still just listening. It's definitely weird coming from that scene to where we are now. The crowd has changed, but it's a new opportunity because many of those people who are watching us have never heard of us before. It opens up a new world for us!
What's a typical day like off of tour?
I like hanging out by myself, especially in the morning since I'm not used to that because there's nine people constantly in my face on tour. I hang out with family and friends, watch movies, and go to my favorite restaurants. I try to do stuff that I don't normally get to do while I'm on tour. Everything is hectic for the five to 10 weeks we are on the road and I'm constantly battling sickness, so I try to take any time I have at home to relax.
Like spending time being a real human?
Yeah, I guess, whatever that means. [Laughs]
Chris Krovatin is the author of three young adult novels, Heavy Metal & You, Venomous, and Gravediggers: Mountain of Bones. He is currently working on multiple new writing projects, as well as new material with his local New York metal band Flaming Tusk. He is a contributing writer for Revolver and generally comes off as a good-natured pain in everyone's collective ass. This column represents his opinions–and probably only his opinions.
Within extreme metal, there is a tradition of accenting one's music with a sharp, guttural grunt—in layman's terms, an "UNGH!" While I'm sure some music snobs would argue about the origin of this vocal utterance, its widespread use can be accredited to Thomas Gabriel Fischer, A.K.A. Tom G. Warrior of the seminal blackened thrash act Celtic Frost. His forceful, throaty "UNGH!" has inspired generations of death and black metal vocalists to "UNGH!" over drum accents like an army of people who have just tasted some cold, nasty coffee.
There are few comparable vocalizations—one might say Hetfield's "YE-HAI!" is similar in status—but undoubtedly the hoarse, commanding "GO!" of At the Gates/Nightrage/Lock Up/The Great Deceiver/The Crown vocalist Tomas Lindberg is one of them. Where Warrior's intestinal grunt is an expression of uncontrollable distaste, Lindberg's battle cry is the official call to arms of melodic-death-metal fans the world over, a seemingly simple instruction that is in fact the sound of a barrier breaking between the scum and the filth, leading to an utterly insane mosh pit of the truly depraved and unholy.
Therefore, to honor these two great metal frontmen and their signature sounds, I present the Six Best "UNGH"s of Tom G. Warrior and the Six Best "GO!"s of Tomas Lindberg. Whose phrase wins? Tell us in the comments section!
The Six Best "UNGH"s of Tom G. Warrior
1. Celtic Frost, "Procreation of the Wicked"
Arguably the original. This slow, stomping tune begins with a squeal of feedback, followed by a solid, almost clean-voiced "UNGH" that opens up the floodgates to a deluge of obsidian riffery. Hell yes.
2. Triptykon, "Goetia"
On the opening track of Warrior's long-awaited Triptykon debut, the seasoned grunter culminates the song's creeping intro with a spirited "UNGH." It also helps that the first word of the song is, "SATAN."
3. Celtic Frost, "The Usurper"
The ultimate "UNGH" resides in this rager off of Celtic Frost's greatest album, coupled with Warrior's other signature phrases, "HEY!" and "I SAID"—" Full-bodied, throaty, powerful—the great "UNGH" of our time.
4. Celtic Frost, "Progeny"
Off of the opening track from Frost's comeback album Monotheist, Warrior's "UNGH" is both a guttural grunt and a reintroduction to his fans. This "UNGH" reminds us that Celtic Frost are back and more evil than ever.
5. Triptykon, "A Thousand Lies"
This song doubles your pleasure with two "UNGH"s, one just as it kicks in and a second soon after. Both are necessary—this furious maelstrom of darkness requires all the nasal grunting it can muster to keep it from exploding like some sort of chthonic bomb.
6. Celtic Frost, "Nocturnal Fear"
This is a rare Frost track, where the "UNGH" doesn't cue in the song. For a while, you're raging along, and then, when you think it's not coming, Warrior "UNGH"s all over your eardrums. Brilliance, truly.
The Six Best "GO!"s of Tomas Lindberg
1. At The Gates, "Slaughter of the Soul"
This is the "GO!" that launched a thousand pits. While the album which bear's this song's name opens with the wicked "Blinded By Fear," it's not until Lindberg utters this "GO!" that the record truly begins.
2. The Crown, "Devil Gate Ride"
This song comes from Deathrace King, when Tomas was simply a guest star and not yet fronting The Crown. One wonders if his "GO!" here got him the gig and lead to him taking over on vocals for Crowned in Terror.
3. Lock Up, "Detestation"
The "GO!" present on this classic track by Lindberg's grindcore outfit is somewhat longer than his earlier ones, which is strange given the brevity of a given Lock Up song. That said, its placement and cadence is brilliant.
4. At The Gates, "World of Lies"
The groovy ass-shaker of a riff that opens this song (I've always wanted to see someone pole dance to it) is completed when Lindberg lets loose with a firm, decisive "GO!" that brings in the drums and completes this giant-sized death-metal anthem.
5. The Great Deceiver, "Today (Is The Tomorrow You Were Promised Yesterday)"
Though Lindberg's industrial-hardcore band always remained a little under the radar, their 2004 album Terra Incognito is an odd but satisfying hunk of mid-2000s metal experimentation. The "GO!" here is much like the song—succinct, unfamiliar, but very cool.
6. Lock Up, "Brethren of the Pentagram"
To be fair, this last "GO!" is questionable—while it kicks off the song in classic Lindberg fashion, Tomas might just be saying "ARRR!" Still, this introductory growl is so awesome, I officially deem it "GO!"-worthy. Got a problem with that? "GO!" fuck yourself.
Chris Krovatin is the author of three young adult novels, Heavy Metal & You, Venomous, and Gravediggers: Mountain of Bones. He is currently working on multiple new writing projects, as well as new material with his local New York metal band Flaming Tusk. He is a contributing writer for Revolver and generally comes off as a good-natured pain in everyone's collective ass. This column represents his opinions–and probably only his opinions.
Some time ago, I wrote a piece about my vision of Metal Heaven. With the passing of Jeff Hanneman—guitarist of my favorite band of all time, Slayer—I couldn't help but wonder what Metal Heaven was like when he showed up. The following is how I picture it:
The first announcement blares through ashen sky on the deep-toned horns of the Watchers, fleet-hoofed satyrs that spend their entire lives on mountain outposts, obsidian eyes perpetually trained towards earth to observe the passing of legends. Soon after their initial alarm, smoke pours from the chimneys of the Invictus Citadel at the city's center. For each fallen warrior, the smoke takes a different form—for Darrel, the air filled with dank clouds of the finest Texan kush; for Chuck, the pipes became charnel jets, spewing a vapor somehow composed of still-writhing meat. Today, on May 2, in the Year Of Our Self 2013, the Invictus erupts in a torrent of oppressively pitch-black smoke that pools overhead. Scarlet lightning lacerates the night sky, and slowly, a deluge of human blood gushes from the gargantuan cloud, painting the world crimson. Each peal of thunder comes in three beats—DUN DUN DUN—and seems to whisper a dark promise: Look alive, look dead. Polish your swords, load your guns. He is coming. He is coming.
Mourning is necessary, if only for his loss to the world. Mixed crowds of dead souls, nuclear wraiths, and towering crag-faced warbeasts take to the streets, each bearing a black candle and a heavy heart. In every catacomb and crypt, the dead, from festering gasbag to cobweb-clad skeleton, crawl from grottoes and caskets and bow their heads in a display of gratitude. In the great mead halls and barracks, infernal warriors lay down their arms, pull off their gas masks, and know that the soul who spun their combat anthems has been stripped from the land of the living. They offer up a prayer, if there is such a thing in this place, to Tom, Kerry, Dave, Kathy, and all others who will no longer know him. Then, the celebration erupts in a deafening blast of joyous cacophony, a symphony of clashed shields, beaten chests, bellowed cries, and clinked beer bottles. For a brief moment, all of the land joins in their triumphant joy at his coming. Heineken sponsors the next 20 minutes.
Then, preparation, frantic but gratefully performed. Thirty-fingered artisans, their many facial sores splitting and oozing pus as they grin with glee, paint epic vistas of demonic assassins flooding the earth, spilling pure Hell and radioactive grandeur across humanity's corrupt and repellent face. Brutish stonemasons, their tattooed biceps bulging with exertion, begin crafting a series of statues to line that evening's parade—spirits in black, revealed through the unwinding coils of venomous serpents; helmet-clad ghosts of once-forgotten soldiers rising to new life; and a rotten depiction of the Angel of Death himself, flying free. From the mountains, snaggle-toothed trolls arrive, hauling jagged hunks of iron ore to the smelting plant in the Ironbound where hordes of armor-clad mutants begin forging it into steel for the Citadel's commemorative crest. Giant bats and hideous gargoyles are sent flapping in the air with care packages of cold beer and Mexican food, soaring upwards to Limbo, where he is no doubt bogged down finishing the post-mortem paperwork and autographing LPs.
As the arrival draws near, the entire world is abuzz with preparation. Garlands of skulls and M16 rounds are strung between every rafter. Great joints of behemoth meat are rubbed with gravel and roasted over smoldering souls of hypocrites and backstabbers. Every spider, no matter how inconsequential and harmless their bite, is captured, killed, or run out of town, even Araxnor the Hideous, who scuttles into the woods with her brood clinging to her thorax, reluctantly fleeing for propriety's sake. Every screen that floats, hangs, or squats throughout the city center is alive with images of battlefield carnage or footage from Live Intrusion and War at the Warfield. The streets outside the Invictus writhe with every manner of headbanger and unholy post-human creature, all dressed in full shinguards and Raiders' gear and hoisting inverted crucifixes over their heads. The ironworkers bring forth their masterpiece, a giant steel eagle with two Jackson guitars crossed over its center; it takes two hella-copters and a 30-foot granite golem to affix it to the front of the Citadel, where its eyes burst into obsidian flames.
The decorations in place, the crowds roiling like a lake of fire, all is prepared for his coming. Overhead, the black cloud of malice begins to churn, creating a vortex at its center and spitting out even more unholy lightning that sends the occasional careless vampire or fallen angel crash-landing amid the crowds below. The ever-widening gyre in the sky begins rumbling with a noise that is equal parts thunder and amplifier feedback, and suddenly a single bolt of light erupts from its core, momentarily blinding the gibbering masses as it enters the Invictus Citadel, making every black stained-glass window flicker eerily before it dissipates. Then, as the abyssal gate in the clouds closes, the doors to the citadel swing open with a earth-shaking rumble, and a shadow, tall and jagged at its edges, emanates from the door, stretching down the central promenade like a black carpet upon which only the unholy may tread.
The crowd's roar grows deafening as a silhouette, haloed in a whipping mane of blonde hair, makes its way from the darkness and into the open, hailed and greeted on all sides as brother and friend.
Any longtime Queensrÿche fan would probably agree that the band's music lost much of its grandeur when key songwriter and co-guitarist Chris DeGarmo quit the band after Hear in the Now Frontier in 1997. Since then, vocalist Geoff Tate took more control than ever, and subsequent releases sounded more like Tate solo projects than bona fide Queensrÿche albums. Now, finally, Queensrÿche's signature sound is back. Founding members guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfield have teamed with vocalist Todd La Torre and guitarist Parker Lundgren. The result is one of the band's best albums in years.
Bolstered by James "Jimbo" Barton's robust production, each band member leaps through the mix with incredible clarity and power. La Torre, in particular, deserves praise. Whether belting out an impassioned Tate-style delivery ("In This Light") or decibel-defying Tarzan-type shouts on a clobbering live rendition of the Queensrÿche classic "Queen of the Reich," included on the digipack edition of the CD, he is clearly the right singer for this band. Other standout tracks include "A World Without," a grandiose slow-burning anthem in the Queensrÿche tradition, and "Don't Look Back," during which Wilton and Lundgren lock into a furious guitar exchange reminiscent of the band's glory days with DeGarmo.
Aptly named Queensrÿche, just like the band's debut was titled 30 years ago, this album is a fresh new beginning of a revamped lineup that we will likely be hearing from for years to come. JOE LALAINA
Check out "Where Dreams Go To Die" off Queensrÿche below:
Revolver presents its 2013 Summer Tour Special! We've got everything you need to get warmed up for this year's Mayhem Festival, as well as all the info you need on the bands headlining the other major summer tours.
To kick things off, we've got Mayhem Fest headliner Rob Zombie, as well as Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon, Amon Amarth, Machine Head, Children of Bodom and Huntress, who will all be at Mayhem Fest!
Moving over to the Warped Tour, we've got The Black Dahlia Murder, Let Live and August Burns Red.
PLUS Gigantour act Megadeth, catch Alice In Chains at the Uproar Festival, Shinedown at Carnival of Madnesss, Volbeat and HIM at theRock Allegiance tour, how to survive the hardest rock concerts of the summer and much, much more!
And...
Revolver Magazine is officially on the road starting this weekend with the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. Stop by the Revolver Mayhem Booth with our signature yellow tent, pick up our official Mayhem 2013 tour guide and the exclusive 2013 collector's poster, hand drawn by artist Ed Repka.
If you don't make it to the festival this year, you can still take home the amazing Mayhem poster, available online here, and our annual Summer Tour Special issue, available online here and on newsstands everywhere July 2!
The new issue is available now at the Revolver Online Store!
A "left-handed Aquarius, master of the fine arts, wordsmith, survivor," as it says on his Facebook page, Valient Thorr frontman Valient Himself is now also a RevolverMag.com blogger. But today he's handed off his duties to his bandmate, guitarist Sadat Thorr. Valient Thorr's new album, Our Own Masters, hits stores June 18. The band is currently on tour with Gypsyhawk and Ramming Speed.
The influences of Valient Thorr are, in my opinion, unmistakably diverse, because we all love very different kinds of music. So when we decided to individually list some of them I knew exactly who I would write about.
For a lot of people, when they hear the name Genesis, they think of Phil Collins or Invisible Touch. Not knowing they had a slew of great progressive rock albums in the 70's (i.e. Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway) with Peter Gabriel on lead vocals. I've always had a special place in my heart for the pop drenched 80's Genesis, but several years ago I came across their 1972 album Foxtrot. At first I couldn't wrap my brain around it and at the same time could not stop listening. After a while I realized they had mastered sudden changes in melody and time without losing the feel of rhythm or the listener's attention. I spent one whole European tour listening to this record over and over slowly falling in love with every song. At the same time I realized that it had the same characteristics as a great cult film, you can't dig it in the first listen, and the depth of this thing takes time and many listens to soak in. Depth not just in the layers of tracks put on tape but depth in lyrics, mood and big British balls! This is one of the heaviest records ever and it NEVER GETS OLD!
Listening to our new record, Our Own Masters, you may not hear the musical influence from Foxtrot immediately but after a few listens I believe the diversity of the songs on this new record recall the freedom that Genesis displayed track to track. We also really focused on sharpening the time changes and structures within the songs so the rhythm continues to flow a lot like they did. Our Own Masters has twelve tracks and everyone one of them are different, some extremely different. I think it makes a great listen. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished. Even if we don't sell a million records, I'll be happy if someday a kid discovers our record in a used bin and gets the same joy from it that I get every time I put on Foxtrot.
"I like politics and starting trouble. I also yell at a stick," Phil Labonte says of himself on his Facebook page. As the often controversial frontman of All That Remains, Labonte lives up to his own description. His band is about to his the road in Europe to kick off months of nonstop touring both abroad and in the U.S. in support of its sixth album, 2012's A War You Cannot Win.
OK, I'm sure at least a few people who heard that Phil Labonte from All That Remains is going to be doing a blog thought something along the lines of this: "Great, can't wait to read about politics and guns." And with good reason—I tend to talk about that crap all the time. But this being the first blog, I'm gonna start you guys off easy. Today I'm gonna talk about the people who you see standing on the side of the stage.
You know who I'm talking about. You go see a band and on the side of the stage are people texting, standing around, and often just being in the way. It's pretty easy to pick out the crew guys and every band has friends, family, or a girl someone in the band is banging or trying to bang. Those people are obviously fine. Aside from the girl who will possibly share DNA with a band or crew member, everyone else I listed will know what they're supposed to do. Which is simply stay out of the way so all the people working can get their work done and the people who are in the crowd get the best show we can put on.
Now, the funny part of the whole "watch from the side of the stage" is it sounds like crap! The monitors (speakers on stage for those who are uninitiated [Batman reference]) are set up so the band can hear what we need. Different parts of the stage sound very different. I wear in-ear monitors so the vocals onstage are very quiet. Everyone follows Jason and Mike so you can't hear solos unless you're on Oli's side. The only drums you hear are the snare and the kick. It sounds like garbage. Cause it's mixed for what we need so we can do the show, not to sound good. Out FRONT is where it sounds good. The front of house engineer (Mike Murray, my life tech) takes it all and mixes it up and makes it sound like a band.
So next time you're at a show and you see a bunch of people on the side of the stage remember, the whole point of us putting that show on is so you have a good time. The randoms who know a security guard at the venue or or are a friend of a friend who got a sticky pass are on the side of the stage to show off with the "Look at me, I'm on the side of the stage so that means I'm important" aren't important. I do everything I can to avoid these people. The people who come out, buy a ticket, wait in line, pay to park, pay for gas, and if ATR is REALLY lucky, buy a shirt, those are the most important people in the room. The side stage people come to see us; we come to see you.
Mark Hunter is the vocalist and founding member of Cleveland metal act Chimaira. For more than a decade, Chimaira has been imposing its gravity on the metal community by continually touring the globe and selling more than a million albums worldwide. Their brand of heavy music has evolved and transcended both itself and the trends while maintaining its persistent, bludgeoning force. The band will release Crown Of Phantoms on July 30th. Listen to the first single "All That's Left is Blood" at the bottom of this post.
"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."
-Albert Einstein
I've been a touring musician for over a decade and to this day the hardest part is adapting from my lifestyle at home to the animal I become on tour. We had a year off from the world of touring, so I became comfortable living the suburban dream. Sleeping in my own bed, eating healthy, exercising and feeling great overall— which is the opposite of how we can feel on tour. About two weeks before our recent run started I went through hell and back, riddled with anxiety. I was so stressed out that at one point my immune system weakened and I wound up in the hospital with the stomach flu. What the hell was I so freaked about?
Touring hasn't always been easy. The older I get, the harder it seems to leave home but this was nuts. I talked to some of the other guys in the band and found out that they too were going through the jitters of getting back out on the road. While I found comfort in the fact I was not alone, unfortunately there was so much else going on with sensitive deadlines and it wasn't enough to shake it. We had a ton to prepare for and finish from completion of the album to promo to rehearsal.
I worked on meditation, diet, and staying busy yet relaxed to alleviate my symptoms and ensure I was able to perform at my maximum ability. This is an important cycle and every move we make has to be performed with precision. I couldn't let the fear of tour get in my way. It's essential to stay relaxed even if it seems impossible. I plowed through the stress, flu, and deadlines, and there I was sitting with my band on the way to St. Louis. Ready to adapt to the road.
First, it starts with getting your sea legs back. Standing, walking and pissing in a vehicle traveling 65mph can be a challenge. The next thing you have to adapt to would be sleeping while moving or should I say, "Getting tossed around like a sock in a dryer." You catch air quite a bit. Rumble strips, potholes and a driver changing their music player causing a massive jerk of the wheel. All awesome things you will feel as soon as you fall asleep.
The first show produces what we like to call a "bangover" – like a hangover, but from headbanging. Remember how sore your neck and throat get after screaming and going crazy at a concert? Well, why would we be any different? Day two is the worst because we have to headbang with whiplash. The neck hardly moves, and although you try, there is absolutely no elasticity left whatsoever. I was happy we had a shower on the vehicle, which helps the neck. It also helps you feel human to wash the venue filth off you.
Finding a clean toilet is the daily challenge on tour. You walk into some fucking nasty places. The toilet from "Candyman" is a prime example of what some of the venues have to offer. It's fucking crazy. No doors, no seat, no toilet paper.
Food is the next challenge. Luckily Android devices come with Google Now, so we don't have to walk around exploring. We hone in to exactly what we want, if there's anything in the area. That's always hit or miss. It could be that your dinner for the night is pizza. I love pizza, so I'm cool with it but not for 3 days in a row. And that's exactly what happens. One killer aspect of tour is getting the chance to eat at all the places you see on The Food Network or Travel Channel. We had some dank meals. Pappy's, what it do?
The other thing we have to adapt to daily are the clusterfucks, or "production nightmares" as our tour manager Big John likes to call them, each venue presents. What will load in be like? Will it be two guys carrying heavy ass road cases up a flight of rickety stairs? What will the stage be like? Will the band fit? Sometimes the answer is "no."
Most importantly, how is the sound system? Is it set up for a metal band or did a metal band show up to a rig suitable for a hipster's spoken word performance? It has happened! When we start playing on stage, will we be able to hear ourselves? I'd estimate we had a good monitor mix 5/25 shows of the last tour. We have to adapt every night and stay in sync with each other no matter what we can or can't hear.
We all have to adapt to our relationships at home. From family to loved ones, part of the process is learning how to be home when you're away from home. Our ladies also have to adapt to their men being gone. Easier said than done! Choosing to live with the smells and sounds of 10 people breathing and flatulating amongst each other over staying at home with a wife takes a special type of sick individual.
Touring is awesome though, and standing on stage is worth everything. And I love having to adapt to new challenges daily. It keeps me on my toes. At some point, you just stop giving a fuck about certain things and you win because you've learned to channel your energy in new ways. Extremely fast problem solving has now become a major interest of mine.
When the music's over and I am back home, the first week is always a bit rough. I've been traveling at the speed of sound all over the country, and now I'm standing still. Don't get me wrong, I love being at home, but it's totally different than touring, and I have to go through the come down. The high is over, and the crash has begun. I'm no longer a nomadic rock icon. Yes, I use that word loosely.
Week 3 - I'm back to myself and I feel great, I'm also stoked for the next run. I seriously doubt I'll have any anxiety next time. I had way too much fun the past 6 weeks, and I can't wait to do it again. Plus the album will be out and there won't be any deadlines to worry about. I'll be able to concentrate on the tour and writing. I sum it up to having too much on my plate, and being detached from tour for too long.
Maybe my situations can help people learn to deal with and adapt to some of the curveballs life throws at them. While my situations are written for the sake of humor, behind it there's a message. We carry way too much stress on our shoulders these days, and I can honestly say being thrown into odd situations on a daily basis has actually improved my ability to reduce stress levels exponentially. Each time I'm presented with a new challenge I learn to embrace it and learn from it.
Don't run from fear. Never give up. Adapt and survive. It's the way we all came to be and the only way to continue.