By Jon Wiederhorn

This year’s Golden Gods Awards ceremony was like no other. Former-Pantera members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown took the stage with Anthrax for a crushing version of “This Love” from Pantera’s untouchable Vulgar Display of Power; Rob Halford performed with Five Finger Death Punch and Metallica, the latter for a cover of Priest’s “Rapid Fire” from their equally important British Steel. Deftones’ Chino Moreno joined a bloodied Dillinger Escape Plan for a metallized rendition of Depeche Mode’s “Behind the Wheel.” Members of Slipknot appeared with Stone Sour as they cranked out Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave.” And David Draiman, of Disturbed and Device, took the stage with Halestorm for a version of Led Zeppelin’s classic “Whole Lotta Love” from Led Zeppelin II. You can watch footage of all the madness right here.

For most musicians at the event, the trip to Hollywood’s Club Nokia was the culmination of a relatively short journey. But for Stone Sour, In This Moment, and Hell or Highwater, the trip to the award show began with the Road to the Golden Gods, a 13-date tour that launched in Portland, Maine’s State Theatre on April 2 and ran through April 27 in Jacksonville Metro Park.

The event was sponsored by Epiphone and the lineup was handpicked by Stone Sour, who considered various groups from different metal subgenres “We wanted to make sure the bands we brought out were not only good, but also something different,” says vocalist Corey Taylor. “There’s nothing worse than going to a show and hearing the same style of music all the way through. It’s like listening to machine gun firing constantly. But because we embrace so many styles, we wanted to make sure the other bands covered that spectrum as well.”

Stone Sour also wanted to make sure they would get along well with the other bands on the tour. Taylor knew In This Moment from years of playing festivals and radio shows together and always got along well with the band members, especially their vocalist Maria Brink. “She’s an amazing performer,” Taylor says. “She’s really creative and she gave it everything she had every night.”

“I think me and Corey have a real kinship because we’ve both been through a lot in our lives and that emotion comes across in our songs,” Brink says. “It was really great to be on the road with them and watch Stone Sour. Corey’s one of the most confident performers and he controls the crowd so naturally. I find him super-inspiring to watch.”

The love fest lasted for the whole tour, partially because Brink knows the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. “Maria got us a box of kick-ass cupcakes as a thank you present for having them on the tour,” Taylor enthuses. “I went, ‘Well, you didn’t have to do that, but I love cupcakes. I’m gonna eat 12 of these damn things.’ They were so good.”

For Hell or Highwater, which features Atreyu drummer Brandon Saller on guitar and vocals, the Road to the Golden Gods was a great opportunity to showcase a group that many metalcore fans didn’t know existed. Unlike the scream-dominated Atreyu, Hell or Highwater play vibrant, hook-laden hard rock with strong vocal harmonies, kind of like a cross between Weezer and the Foo Fighters. “This was definitely the best tour we’ve been on,” Saller says. “The crowd was really responsive. We had great shows every night and we really got close to everyone in Stone Sour.”

During a day off on the way to Florida, members of Hell or Highwater went to Stone Sour and Slipknot guitarist Jim Root’s house, ate sushi, sat around a bonfire, and played guitar. “Stuff like that doesn’t usually happen on tours, especially when you’re the opening band,” Saller says. “We made friends from day one, which was awesome.”

In addition to adding musical variety to the Road to the Golden Gods tour, Hell or Highwater introduced the Stone Sour and In This Moment camps to an addictive tour game they invented that’s kind of like rock-and-roll hot potato, where everyone tries to pass off a single hotel key card to someone else without them noticing.

“We taped hotel keys to Stone Sour’s snare drum and all kinds of stupid things,” Saller says. “There’s no point to the game, but in the end, once you get stuck with it, it’s yours.”

“That was funny as hell,” Taylor says. “I had already passed it to somebody. And somehow our monitor guy ended up with it. Then that cheeky bastard stuck it in the pick holder that was on my microphone stand. So when I walked out to do ‘Bother,’ there’s that bastard card key. I just shook my head and was like, ‘Oh, godammit. You fuckin’ nailed me. I lose.’”

Southern California’s female-fronted hard rockers In This Moment are gearing up to record their first-ever DVD, which is being shot at their upcoming tour stop on May 21 in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Orpheum Theater. In This Moment have partnered up with long-time supporter, radio station WJJO, as part of their Mayday Maylay concert series. The band has a bunch of surprises in store for this show including rarely played songs from their catalog and an all-new stage show created specifically for this concert. Also performing that night are special guests Nonpoint and Gemini Syndrome. The concert is being directed by Brad Golowin who is known for his work with Miss May I and 10 Years, to name a few. Tickets are currently on sale via Ticketmaster and can be purchased here.

In This Moment is currently out on tour in support of their latest Century Records release Blood. The album was released in August of 2012 where it debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Top 200, selling over 20,000 copies the first week. Blood marks the band’s highest chart debut of their career. To date, the album has scanned over 150,000 units and has spawned the singles “Blood” and “Adrenalize.” “Adrenalize” is currently #18 on Mediabase Active Rock charts.  The video for “Adrenalize” has been viewed almost 500,000 times and can be seen below.

The band will be touring throughout May making stops at the KQRA BBQ (Springfield, MO), KQRC Rockfest (Kansas City, MO), Rock On The Range (Columbus, OH) before wrapping on May 22 in Minneapolis, MN at Mill City Nights. The band will head to Europe in June for select dates overseas.

Revolver TV was on site to see all the action, including performances from some of rock’s heavyweights, including Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Limp Bizkit, Rise Against, Bush, Deftones and many more.

Check out the video below and get tickets now HERE for the remaining World’s Loudest Month shows – Rockfest on May 11, Rock on the Range on May 17-19, or Rocklahoma on May 24-26!

Fuse recently spent a day on the road with Corey Taylor and Stone Sour on the first-ever Revolver Road to the Golden Gods tour, which is going on right now. Check out the resulting footage below, and let us know what you think in the comments.

Check out the new music video for the song “Adrenalize,” off In This Moment’s latest album, Blood. The band, who are currently touring with Stone Sour and Hell or Highwater on the Road to the Golden Gods tour, say this about the video: “We are thrilled to finally unleash the ‘Adrenalize’ video on the masses. We created something that surpasses our highly successful video for ‘Blood’ and now that we have your attention we are going to make you feel filthy, captivated, and at the same time disturbingly aroused. Love or hate us, we guarantee you will keep coming back for more.”

For more info, visit inthismomentofficial.com, www.facebook.com/officialinthismoment or twitter.com/officialitm.

GRAMMY-nominated rock band Stone Sour recently announced details of their headlining slot of the first-ever Revolver “Road to the Golden Gods” Tour presented by Epiphone & Drum Workshop.  Supporting the band on the coast-to-coast run will be hard rockers In This Moment and Hell or Highwater. The dates get underway April 2 at the State Theatre in Portland, ME and culminate with a performance at the 5th Annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards presented by Epiphone on May 2 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles (see itinerary below). To purchase tickets, click HERE or click the TICKETS button on the poster below with your preferred date selected.

In addition to Stone Sour, other 2013 Golden Gods performers include Metallica, Five Finger Death Punch, Anthrax, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Halestorm. The sold-out 5th anniversary show will air live on AXS TV and Xbox Live on Thursday, May 2, 2013.

Stone Sour will be releasing Part 2 of their double album, House of Gold & Bones, on April 9. The new record includes the single “Do Me A Favor,” which is currently climbing the Active Rock building chart (now at No. 15). The track is actually one of three in the Active Top 20 that feature Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor—the other two being “Absolute Zero” from House of Gold & Bones Part 1 and “From Can To Can’t,” a collaboration with Dave Grohl featured on Sound City: Real To Reel, the soundtrack to Grohl’s recently released Sound City documentary. Both Stone Sour songs are available on iTunes now.

Also, don’t miss the first issue of House of Gold & Bones (Dark Horse Comics) to be released April 17, written by Corey Taylor and featuring the artwork of Richard Clarke (interior) and Jason Shawn Alexander (cover).

For up to the minute news and information, please visit
www.goldengodsawards.com, www.stonesour.com, www.houseofgoldandbones.com, and www.roadrunnerrecords.com.

The Grammy-nominated Stone Sour recently announced details of their headlining slot of the first-ever Revolver “Road to the Golden Gods” Tour presented by Epiphone & Drum Workshop.

Supporting the band on the coast-to-coast run will be hard rockers In This Moment and Hell or Highwater. The dates get under way April 2 at the State Theatre in Portland, Maine, and culminate with a performance at the 5th Annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards presented by Epiphone May 2 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles (See itinerary). For complete tour details and ticket information, visit goldengodsawards.com.

In addition to Stone Sour, other 2013 Golden Gods performers include Metallica, Five Finger Death Punch, Anthrax, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Halestorm. The sold-out 5th anniversary show will air live on AXS TV and Xbox Live on Thursday, May 2.

Stone Sour will be releasing Part 2 of their double album, House of Gold & Bones, April 9. The new record includes the single, “Do Me A Favor,” which is climbing the Active Rock building chart (now at No. 15). The track is actually one of three in the Active Top 20 that feature Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor, the other two being “Absolute Zero” from House of Gold & Bones Part 1 and “From Can To Can’t,” a collaboration with Dave Grohl featured on Sound City: Real To Reel, the soundtrack to Grohl’s recently released Sound City documentary. Both Stone Sour songs are available on iTunes now.

In other media, the first issue of House of Gold & Bones (Dark Horse Comics) will be released April 17, written by Corey Taylor and featuring the artwork of Richard Clarke (interior) and Jason Shawn Alexander (cover).

For up to the minute news and information, visit
www.goldengodsawards.com, www.stonesour.com, houseofgoldandbones.com and roadrunnerrecords.com.

THE REVOLVER ROAD TO THE GOLDEN GODS TOUR Featuring STONE SOUR w/ In This Moment & Hell or Highwater except*

Apr 2               State Theatre                          Portland, ME

Apr 3               House of Blues                       Boston, MA

Apr 5               The Wellmont Theatre             Montclair, NJ

Apr 7               Freedom Hall                           Lancaster, PA

Apr 9               The Dome                               Wallingford, CT

Apr10              Paramount Theater                  Huntington, NY

Apr11              The Fillmore Silver Spring       Silver Spring, MD

Apr13              Tinker Field                              Orlando, FL - WJRR’s Earthday Birthday 20*

Apr14              Jet Blue Park                           Ft. Myers, FL - Fort Rock Fest*

Apr16              The Fillmore Charlotte             Charlotte, NC

Apr17              Marathon Music Works           Nashville, TN

Apr24              Masquerade Music Park          Atlanta, GA

Apr27              Jacksonville Metro Park          Jacksonville, FL - Welcome To Rockville*

May2               Club Nokia                              Los Angeles, CA* – Revolver Golden Gods Awards

May4               Quail Run Park                        Mesa, AZ – 98 KUPD Ufiesta*

May16             Peoria Civic Center                 Peoria, IL - 105.7 The X Spring Fling*

May18             Crew Stadium                         Columbus, OH - Rock On The Range 2013*

The Fifth Annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards show, presented by Epiphone, is set for Thursday, May 2, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Metallica will perform live and receive the “Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement” Award, Rob Zombie will receive the “Golden God Award,” and Tony Iommi will be honored with the prestigious “Riff Lord” Award.

The show will feature live performances by Metallica, Five Finger Death Punch, Anthrax, Stone Sour, Dillinger Escape Plan, Halestorm and more!

Sebastian Bach and Dee Snider will host the “Black Carpet” pre-show. For the first time ever, the show will air on an exclusive national TV broadcast through AXS TV, and global broadcast on XBOX Live and Facebook.

To watch the show live on AXS TV, click here and check your local listings. Or, to watch on the Golden Gods Facebook page, click here.

Tickets went on sale February 4 via AXS.com.

Click here for more info about the 2013 Golden Gods Awards!

By Alison Richter

Six years into the history of In This Moment, founding members Maria Brink and Chris Howorth were at a crossroad: The vocalist and lead guitarist were now a duo, contemplating the band’s future while preparing to write and record what would become their new album, Blood.

Tracking with producer Kevin Churko in late 2011 and early 2012 at The Hideout Studio in Las Vegas, Brink and Howorth worked diligently, and at their own pace, to create a powerful record that Brink says brings out the “alluring, darker, sinful side of us that no one has ever seen.”

In This Moment, which includes bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel and drummer Tom Hane, will once again commence touring, in March, in support of Blood. With that series of dates on the horizon, Howorth discussed the creative process.

REVOLVER: When did you begin writing the songs for this album?

We started working on it around November 2011. Even before we lost the band members, Maria and I were working on songs. We went in the studio with Kevin at that time for a week and a half to get a couple of songs done. We felt like we needed to show everybody that we’re better than ever.

Kevin is a huge supporter of In This Moment. He believes in our band and we believe in him, so we went down and did the two songs and it was amazing. It kind of set the tone for the whole album. It’s better than any process we’ve had before. Maria, Kevin and I recorded the album. Kevin is a drummer and multi-talented musician and can play all instruments. I play all the guitars, he and I created the beats, Maria does the vocals. Travis was there in a supportive role, helping out. That’s why everything is so fresh and different, because it’s just the three of us.

How does the writing process work?

What we’ve always done is, if someone had a good idea for a guitar riff or something, and Maria came up with a vocal melody over it with no lyrics, and we had that one little piece, everyone would contribute ideas and expand on it. That’s how we do it still; we’ll play it for Kevin and he’ll make suggestions. It’s really organic.

We brought in a couple of things we had, like a verse or a chorus or a pre-chorus that stayed, but a lot of times we built something new. It’s very organic and artistic, like drawing a picture and trying something and erasing and trying something else. I think these songs are the most focused we’ve ever had. We have a lot to prove, and we want to show any doubters that they were wrong to give up on us. This is the best we could ever do and that’s how we’ve approached every song.

Are you able to write while you’re on tour?

We were on the road for over a year and we don’t like to write on the road. Maria always wants to do it, but I feel like it’s very distracting. I don’t enjoy it as much.

How did that year on the road prepare you to make another record?

It kind of always does. Once you make a record, you go on tour and you promote it. There’s always that time when you feel things are going good, but they’re starting to level off and you know in your heart that it’s time to do another one. Different experiences, different bands you play with, different situations will influence your songs.

On our first album

What are some of the goals you set for yourselves with this album?

Maria and I created this from the ground up. We have a lot of fans who have a lot of different expectations and things they like about us. We have two different sides because we’re a very diverse band. We have people that love the melodic side and people that love the heavy side. We’ve developed a sound that’s In This Moment and doesn’t sound like any other band.

We want to make sure that we always have that, and that we always have the heavy elements mixed in with the melodic elements in a way that will please everyone’s ears, including ours. We always base it off of what we want to hear, but at the same time we want the fans to like our stuff and not feel betrayed by our albums. So that’s always the goal: to be original, artistic and have the elements that people want to hear from In This Moment, and make ourselves happy in the process.

Read more of Chris Howorth’s interview right here.

Photo: Kevin Estrada

— Alison Richter

Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.