This year’s Scream It Like You Mean It tour will be headlined by Story of The Year, doing their 10th Anniversary tour for Page Avenue. Three bands currently on this year’s Warped Tour will be support, including one who is currently on main stage. The tour kicks off October 8th in Cincinnati. Full dates will be revealed August 5th.
UK artist Itch is heading back to London this fall for Vans Warped Tour UK in London. Fans can now enter for a chance to win a trip for two to Vans Warped Tour UK, airfare and accommodations including a $200 American Express gift card. Itch will perform on Saturday November 16th. Enter for a chance to win here http://itchsmixes.com/contest.
Itch recently released his first single in the United States this June. “Homeless Romantic" features vocals from Taking Back Sunday’s Adam Lazzara and is available for free download at www.itchofficial.com. Adam joined Itch on the set of the video in Los Angeles, which was directed by Hannah Lux.
Brad from New Fury Media joins me on this podcast. We discuss North Korea missiles, Corey Taylor’s new book, Matty Mullins being a slut shamer, and more. Past episodes can be found here. If you like the podcast, I would be deeply grateful if you would write a 5-star review for the podcast in iTunes. For you, the listeners of the podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.
After months of buildup and excitement, the critically heralded LA “soul-punk” band letlive. has released their long-awaited and heavily discussed new album, The Blackest Beautiful, today via Epitaph Records. The new album is currently streaming in its entirety at Youtube.com and is available for purchase now at iTunes, Amazon, letlivestore.com and local indie retailers. Pick up a copy of The Blackest Beautiful today and catch the band this summer at the Vans Warped Tour! Follow letlive. now at www.facebook.com/theletlive
Every once in a while, a band will come out of nowhere and blow everyone else out of the water. letlive is that kind of band, and “The Blackest Beautiful” is that kind of record.
letlive (yes spelled like that) is rebellious, aggressive, funky and addicting all in one sound. The pack leader, Jason Butler (vocals), is ignited from start to finish on this album and burns until there is nothing left in him, and then he gives it a little more. He sets a lyrical flame on every song with a jagged sound, gutter screams, and a scaling voice that can peak and descend at any moment. The band will get their point across in every song and their themes are very powerful. letlive has a running aspect of having strong, mature, and honest lyrics in all their songs, and that stands true here. In fact, vocally and lyrically this is letlive’s greatest work. Jason Butler absolutely killed it, and he will kill it every show he plays. letlive puts on one of the energetic live performances you’ll ever see. Musically letlive has some incredible musicians. The guitar and bass work is top notch and extremely creative with a mix of thrash, emotional overtones and odd rhythmic patterns, while the drumming accents and conducts the overall orchestration of each song.
The first single and music video from the album, “Banshee (Ghost Fame)”, gives a very broad idea of what the entire album is like. “Empty Elvis” is a straight up aggressive ‘Rage Against The Machine’ style track, while a song like “Virgin Dirt” might be the darkest and moodiest song letlive’s ever created. The band took what they did in their last critically acclaimed album, “Fake History” and outdid themselves. A couple songs that really stood out were “White America’s Beautiful Black Market”, a song that is a call to arms with political shout-outs and emotional words, and “Dreamer’s Disease”, a thrashy track about brute honestly in this world.
Honestly, listening to this album is a lot to take in. It’s one of those album that you’ll listen too once through and have to replay the entire thing because you won’t believe what you’re listening too. It’s an incredible record to say the least. Some transitions between choruses felt a bit forced on a couple tracks, but overall they made it work. letlive is going to take the lead in the post-hardcore scene. Do yourself a favor and check out “The Blackest Beautiful”, and see letlive’s incredible live show this year on the Vans Warped Tour.
9.5/10
The parties this summer on the Vans Warped Tour are going to be a to crazier with Attila on the bill, and with the release of their newest album, “About That Life”. If you’re into heavy music, highly offensive lyrics and parties, then you probably already know what Attila is all about, but in case you don’t I suggest looking them up now so you know what I’m talking about.
Right away, the first song “Middle Fingers Up” sets the mood for the entire album, with an extremely catchy hook and heavy guitars that will make anyone want to jump up n’ down with the beat. A couple songs that stand out are “About That Life” and “Hellraisers”. Attila seems to be the only band that can pull off this type of ‘party-core metal’. The members of Attila are really stinking good at writing offensive and creative lyrics, as well as heavy instrumental parts to compliment to vocals. Chris “Fronz” Fronzak once again brings back his fast scream rapping style and brutal death-metal lows to the record. From a talent standpoint, Fronz is a fantastic vocalist and he demonstrates this on the album.
His vocal structures and patterns are creative and catchy, and he mixes up his styles well. More often he seems to use his lows on most tracks, but he keeps it fairly balanced. Musically, Chris Linck and Sean Heenan (guitars) together write catchy heavy riffs that keep the whole album bouncing. Nothing on this album is drastically different from what they’ve done in the past; everything is simply heavier and catchier since their previous release “Outlawed”. Breakdowns aren’t over-abused, but most songs with start off the same way. The guitar solos in this album are few, but they are effective, cool and a nice way to mix things up.
As much as I love Attila’s live free and party mentality, I know this band definitely won’t be for everyone. The lyrics are highly offensive, and you won’t find any deep personal messages in this album. The whole album is about partying, doing whatever you want, and there’s a couple songs dissing the scene, music industry and bands in this genre. With this type of music I see it as a hit or miss with the fans. It’s “hardcore teenage kid” kind of music, which limits the bands fan outreach. Many may find this music to be predictable and that might bore listeners. If you are into this style of music then you probably listen to it for the energy and power behind it. It’s party music. To sum it up, you’re either going to love it or think it’s a joke.
I highly recommend that anyone check out this band. Fans of Emmure and Upon A Burning Body should definitely check them out, but I have a feeling that if you know those two bands, you’ll be all too familiar with the rageaholics in Attila. Check out their newest album “About That Life” which is set to release June 25th, and catch them on the Vans Warped Tour all summer.
7.5/10
During The Amity Affliction’s set at Warped Tour in Portland a few days ago, the band’s drummer Ryan sustained an injury while performing. A piece of his drumstick chipped off going right into his cornea which caused a cut and required immediate eye surgery. The band did not perform at yesterday’s Warped Tour set in San Diego however they are expected to return in Pomona tomorrow. Chad from Glass Cloud will fill in behind the kit for the rest of the tour
This past Sunday at the Portland, OR stop, the tour announced that all Dad’s could get in free in honor of Father’s Day. The program, which allows one parent a complimentary ticket into the festival if they are accompanying a paid ticket was an immediate hit and tour founder, Kevin Lyman, a Dad himself, has decided it will continue for the rest of the 2013 run so all Warped fans under 18 can attend without hassle. *Patrons can pick up the ticket at the Vans tent out front.
”We’ve been noticing on our boards lots of fans without transportation,” explains tour founder Kevin Lyman. “We decided everyday for 2013 should be Mother’s and Father’s day, so we will celebrate by giving any parent who is bringing someone to the Warped Tour a ticket to enjoy the fun.”
The program is also an extension of the Reverse Daycare tent. Located inside the vendor village on the Warped festival grounds, theReverse Daycare is a special enclosed oasis—with air-conditioning and movies and cold-beverages—where festival goers can drop-off their parents. This year, organizers have expanded the Reverse Daycare tent which continues to grow every year.
Additionally, those looking for a green way to attend Warped can check out Rock & Bus which provides round trip shuttles to venues. Some venues have shuttles that are dedicated to Warped shows. Check the venue website for more information on easy public transportation routes and venue shuttles for specific Warped shows.
Check out the WARPED 101 section which contains more information:
With every release, August Burns Red seems to expand their sound and individually the members push themselves to a new highs. “Rescue & Restore” finally is the push that takes the band from a familiar sound to a fresh new take on a trademark style.
The band’s previous LP record “Leveler” showed immense creativity growth in songs such as “Internal Cannon” and “Carpe Diem”. “Rescue & Restore” is an album that comes full circle with the band’s style, creativity, talent, and shows how much the band has grown since their early days in 2005. Every aspect of this album has been done bigger and better than ever before.
The first song, titled “Provision”, is probably one of the heaviest things ABR has ever written. Guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler are at the top of their game with this album, not only with their skill, but also with their creativity as musicians. Instead of going with drop C tuning and chugging away for an entire album, the band has switched up the key of most songs to add variety. It was also very appealing to hear Dustin’s bass tone more audible in this record. Personally, it makes me wish that I could hear more of his bass in previous records because he did a fantastic job on this one. The reoccurring theme I noticed with “Rescue & Restore” is the usage of clean guitars in almost every song, and Matt Greiner’s downplaying on the drums to slow the mood down. This by no means makes ABR less heavy, rather it demonstrates ABR’s expansive talent and creativity with their music.
Jake Luhrs absolutely destroyed my expectations for how he would perform on this record. “Leveler” was an honest and heartfelt record (more so than their previous albums) so I was expecting something similar to that. Some of these songs are my favorite ABR has ever done simply because the vocals are THAT phenomenal. Luhrs does not hold back what so ever. His talent and creativity with his vocal patterns has grown so much since “Leveler” and his lyrics are honest and inspiring. His vocal range has grown (once again) and I believe this album is his most passionate one to date. Faith is still very much a huge part of what August Burns Red stands for and lyrically the messages behind each song are extremely uplifting and encouraging to all. These 11 songs will absolutely kick your butt and have you hooked for a long time.
August Burns Red is moving forward with their music. This isn’t just metal anymore; this is art. This album has a distinct identity and feels more like “music” rather than metal. Some of these songs are the heaviest ABR has ever done, some are the most melodic, some are the lightest, but each song sticks to the deep roots of August Burns Red’s true original style. “Rescue & Restore” is August Burns Red’s best album to date.
9/10
- Ryan
Neck Deep, one of the most exciting and rapidly ascending names of the UK’s next gen, have been confirmed to appear at this year’s edition of the Vans Warped Tour UK.
You can check out the band’s official announcement video by clicking HERE
The Wrexham based quintet will perform at the two day event, once again to be held at London’s Alexandra Palace, on Sunday November 17.
