Show Review: Ohio Metalfest

Ohio’s Metalfest was a show that was very highly anticipated and I have to say that that anticipation was justified as well as delivered. This was my first Metalfest and I caught as many bands as I could between the two stages. Before I go on, I’ll list off the bands I saw because there were a lot of great artists there and only so much time to get around to everyone (some bands didn’t make it to the show so the times were a bit messed up as well)

I made a note to try and get around to the more notable acts but I definitely caught some of the smaller bands as well. My knowledge of each band ranges as some of them are my favorite but others I had only their reputation to go off of.

I saw:
I See Stars
The Word Alive
Periphery
Born of Osiris
Structures
Sworn In
Veil of Maya

Each band played for 30-45 minutes and in general, they were all great. Some were definitely better than others and the heavily reverberated ballroom at The Rave made a lot of the main-stage sets sound muddy and at some points, inaudible. But, I did my best to keep all of those things in mind and focus on the quality of the playing of each band as well as their presence on stage.

I See Stars started things off on the ballroom stage at around 2:00pm and they definitely got things going in the room. As they came on stage, the room was immediately filled with an energetic atmosphere and the floor quickly filled up. The crowd was anxious before they came on but the second they stepped foot on the stage everyone was excited. They played great and ranged from their more famous songs like “NTZ48” as well as playing some newer ones off of their new release. Despite some small technical difficulties, the set went pretty smoothly and the band played great. The singer was the most impressive part of their live show. He hit just about every part spot on and he didn’t cut corners around the higher notes.

Many singers in this genre will half-ass their parts and often times they won’t even sing some parts. I See Stars was different as both vocalists (synth/screams) were amazing and really made them stick out in my mind. Their stage presence as well was notable as the members were all moving around constantly and keeping the audience engaged. At one point a man in a full body chicken suit jumped into the crowd from the stage.

After I See Stars came The Word Alive on the ballroom stage. This band kept the energy up throughout the entire set and the crowd was able to keep up their excitement and movement high. This band was especially tight live. The guitar solos and intense vocals were near perfect onstage and this made everything more enjoyable and immersible during the show. The Word Alive played many crowd pleasers off of their newest release Life Cycles which was a good thing in this case as it kept everyone entertained as they could sing along to each track. The band ended their set with Telle (vocalist) repeating a memorable line from Life Cycles as well as a backflip.
    
The next band to take the stage was Veil of Maya. Although this band has a incredibly impressive recorded material, it didn’t hold up as well live. Overall, the set was good but I felt they were carried a bit by their excessive backtracking and lack of ability to really deliver their sound live. I had a lot of respect for their one and only guitar player as he was able to carry most of the weight of the guitar parts, but all synth parts and some guitars were played entirely through the speakers.

This was a bit of a buzzkill for me personally but I do understand the necessity. The band’s presence onstage was good as I especially enjoyed the fact that they didn’t talk too much in between songs. Many of the bands at the festival repeated the same generic crowd-addressing lines and it was nice to see a band get straight to the music!

The next band I saw was Sworn In down at the theater stage. I have to say that I had seen videos of their live show but it was still very…unique. As far as the quality of their performance goes, when the vocalist screamed, he was very good and was able to match what was on the recordings. He did unfortunately speak a lot of his parts and cut corners a bit. The drums were spot on but the guitars seemed a bit sloppy. Even through the unbearable sound quality, it seemed they were off a bit. Nonetheless, Sworn In put on an amazing live act, sucking the audience into their dark and awe inspiring atmosphere.

Each member was a part of the entertainment and the band really has created something new and original with their stage presence. It completely matches their music and their style of wearing their own matching merch live only adds more to the effect. If you haven’t seen this band yet, you are really missing out on something very creative. See them.
    
After Sworn In I was back upstairs to the ballroom stage to see Born of Osiris. Everything about this band’s live show was great except that they had a backing track guitar in the right speaker during the entire show. Samples I understand but it was just a bit too obvious at how perfect the other guitar was and it didn’t really match the whole style of playing that the band was showing. Other than that aspect, this was definitely one of the better shows of the day. They played a wide range of their material dating back to early tracks as well as staying current with songs off of their newest release. Each instrument was tight and the band packed the floor within minutes of them starting.
    
Following up Born of Osiris was what I thought, the best band of the day: Periphery. This band sets the bar extremely high with their recorded material but the fact that they met that expectation was astounding to me. The band has many busy parts on each instrument and I was worried that the sounds would clash too much only leaving a confusing muddy sound but the band pulled through. Keeping each note perfect and staying true to the tracks, the band had the samples through the speakers which gave the songs the identity they needed.

Although it was disappointing at times to see how much was actually being put through on a recorded track, the band more than made up for it with their perfect playing abilities. The highlight of the day was watching Spencer (vocalist) hit every note onstage. One of the most talented vocalists in the genre, he absolutely amazed the crowd live with his ability to recreate his parts onstage. He blew away every other vocalist and the bands humor and relaxing vibes made everyone like them.

Last but most certainly not least was Structures. I had heard amazing things about their album “Divided By” and was told I was in for a treat to see them live. I had heard some of their music before but never got around to really focusing on listening to it. Despite that, I headed back downstairs to catch their set. Structures is definitely near the top for the day as they had one of the most energetic performances I had seen all day. With a smaller group they were able to work the stage and the crowd with their music throughout the whole set. Each member was entertaining and even though I didn’t know any of the songs I very much enjoyed them.

Metalfest was a show to remember and even though I did catch more than the bands above, I wasn’t able to watch their entire sets so I didn’t feel I could write accurately about their performances. My experience was great and it was a dream come true to see so many of my favorite bands in one day as well as delve into some newer ones! If you ever get a chance to go to a festival like this one, I highly recommend it as they are easy to navigate and you can save a ton of money seeing your favorite bands all in one night!

Rating: 9/10

-Nic

Mike Portnoy Releases Invite Video For Progressive Nation At Sea

While on tour with his American power trio - supergroup, The Winery Dogs, Mike Portnoy filmed an epic and personalized invite video to his first ever Progressive Nation at Sea Cruise.  Taking you band by band and leading you through the musical adventure that attendees have to look forward to at this one of a kind, floating Progressive Rock festival taking place February 2014.

Progressive Nation At Sea Confirm Lineup

This music festival at sea gives music fans an experience that a land festival just can’t match. In addition to 4 days in the beautiful Caribbean, guest will have the opportunity to see their favorite musical heroes perform numerous sets around the many stages set around Norwegian Pearl. And when guests are not attending a performance, a variety of activities hosted by the artists will fill the day.

With 15 decks of fun, Norwegian Pearl offers guests access to 13 bars and lounges, 19 dining experiences, one outdoor pool, four hot tubs, and spa treatments to help forget about the world left behind. Onboard concerts aren’t the only things that rock on Norwegian Pearl - passengers looking for more activities can visit the outdoor climbing wall, bowl a few frames at the onboard lanes, or tempt lady luck at The Pearl Club Casino. Progressive Nation cruisers will also have the opportunity to explore the sandy beaches of Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, their very own private island getaway. A host of beachside activities and games, the gigantic “Hippo” water slide, and access to food and beverage service will make the stay on Great Stirrup Cay an unforgettable experience.

Forthcoming announcements are scheduled to follow detailing artist-hosted activities, theme night information, contest additions, and activities!  For full details and to sign up for the pre-sale, fans should visit www.progressivenationatsea.com

KTM Podcast: League of Djentleman

Brad from The New Fury joins me once again as we discuss new releases, upcoming tours, Bradley Manning, Edward Snowden and more. Past episodes can be found here. If you like the podcast, write a 5-star review for it and subscribe on iTunes.

Periphery Announce This Tour Is Personal

Periphery has just announced a headlining tour with  Born Of Osiris, Dead Letter Circus, and Twelve Foot Ninja. You can find the dates below

More dates TBA:
10/11 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
10/14 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
10/15 – Tampa, FL @ State Theatre
10/16 – Mobile, AL @ Alabama Music Box
10/18 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Tomcats
10/19 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
10/20 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
10/23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Martini Ranch
10/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
10/25 – San Diego, CA @ Soma
10/26 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
10/27 – San Francisco, CA @ DNA
10/29 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
10/30 – Vancouver, BC @ Tom Lee Music Hall WITHOUT BOO
11/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
11/02 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
11/04 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre
11/07 – Chicago, IL @ Mojoes
11/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cabooze
11/11 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House – WITHOUT BOO
11/12 – Quebec City, QC @ Dagobert – WITHOUT BOO
11/16 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
11/20 – New York City, NY @ the Gramercy Theatre

KTM Podcast: Vans Warped Tour/Summer Slaughter Recap

Brad and I recap our respective Vans Warped Tour/Summer Slaughter tour dates. Past episodes can be found here. If you like the podcast, write a 5-star review for it in iTunes.

KTM Podcast - Episode 8 with Daniel McBride

Daniel McBride, in-house graphic designer for Sumerian Records talks about his work, and what’s it like seeing album covers he’s created on t-shirts. Past episodes can be found here. We are also on Stitcher.

Play here

Review: Tesseract - Altered State

The band Tesseract brings a well done progressive metal/ambient style to the table with their release “Altered State”.

With their funky instrumentation and ambient intertwining of vocals and airy guitar, they remind the listener of a sound not far off from Periphery or Substructure. Although Tesseract is in the ball park of these bands, they still separate themselves from the pack. The most notable aspect of this record would be the vocals. The constantly harmonized and heavily reverberated melodies delve the listener into the immerse sound that Tesseract constantly drives throughout the album.

Although the album is lengthy, it lets the listener fully drown themselves in the surrounding style of the album. With creative mixes of distorted breakdowns with cleaned up and delayed leads, the band proves its originality with their carefully constructed songs like “Singularity”. This song adequately ravels the album into one as well as creates its own place among the other songs.  It keeps the album flowing into the closer “Embers” which leaves the listener satisfied and itching to restart the journey again.

This album has a solidified style that even pokes out from the rest of this genre, but lacks in one category. With this type of sound, bands like Periphery and Substructure deliver enormously in the aspects of heaviness and off time instrument breaks. But with Tesseract, they seem to fall short of the all too anticipated mind blowing instrumentation. The instruments act as a perfect support to the vocals, but when the melodies stop, so does the immersion and excitement. Each instrument break leaves the listener almost waiting until the vocals come up again. The band definitely makes a good effort towards recreating these important parts of the songs, but doesn’t deliver as hard as other bands. What Tesseract does best is their creation of ambiance and immersion with only a few guitar tracks and effects. This aspect makes up for their lack of instrumental entertainment.

Overall this album should fall into the same category as Periphery, but not stay attached to that band. They diversify themselves well enough and with a certain style that keeps them interesting without being unoriginal. Whether the lyrics are of a concept or not, it takes the listener through an aural journey, a rarity among a world of monotonous breakdowns and monotone vocals. This album expresses many emotions and keeps the listener entranced in an almost hypnotic state. These qualities are what differentiate a great album from a revolutionary album. With a future ahead of them, if Tesseract can master their instrumentation then they can master the genre itself. Even with its flaws, this is the type of album that expresses what music really is — an art form.

Rating: 9/10

- Nic Cheatle

The Top 10 Modern Drummers

Drummers; they have the best view in the house and are the essential backbone of a band. Not to mention that drummers have to have the stamina of an Olympic athlete when playing live. As metal, hardcore, and other genres get faster, drummers are tasked with keeping a steady rhythm and flow. Now, the criteria we used may upset some people but it’s the only way to be fair. 

1. Each drummer had to have both recorded AND performed live within the past five years.

2. We had to see them live (the only real way to decide to judge this)

 10. Matt Nicholls (Bring Me The Horizon)

We’ll be the first to admit that BMTH were a shitty band for their first two albums (Okay, maybe just the first one). Aside from that, the band grew up (literally and musically) on their last two albums, “There Is A Hell…”, and “Sempiternal”. Matt’s drumming may not stand out when compared to the other drummers on this list, but it’s clear that the band is now making music that’s a clear departure from their beginnings.

9. Dan Searle (Architects UK)

Architects are a very underrated band; they have a huge following in their hometown of Europe but are just breaking through here in the US. Fans of mathcore will appreciate Dan’s drumming on their first two records. Their latest record, Daybreaker, sees a return to their technical roots on Hollow Crown.

8. Billy Rymer (The Dillinger Escape Plan)

Billy may have only joined TDEP four years ago but he’s definitely earned his place on this list. His playing includes plenty of polyrythmns and odd time signatures, which is the core of TDEP’s music which is ironic cause Billy played for a wide variety of bands including 311, Alien Ant Farm, and even Kelly Clarkson.

7. Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour)

Roy was the original drummer of Soufly and has played with Sepultura, and very briefly with Ozzy Osbourne. He joined Stone Sour in 2006 and has destroyed the kit since.

6. Ryan “Legs” Leger (Every Time I Die)

After losing their previous drummer due to “personal conflicts” Ryan auditioned for Every Time I Die and laid down some of their best drum work yet on their latest record, “Ex Lives”

5. Blake Richardson (Between the Buried and Me)

Blake used to play in the deathcore band, Glass Casket before joining BTBAM. Noted for his blast beats, odd timing, double bass drumming, and fill-heavy style, Richardson is considered a standout in his field.

4. Branden Morgan (Misery Signals)

Probably the most underrated drummer considering Misery Signals have been a huge influence for newer bands. Their debut record, Of Malice and the Magnum Heart is highly regarded as one of the best metalcore releases ever. Critics and bands have praised the band’s ability on the record in effortlessly blending melody and aggression.

3. Matt Halpern (Periphery)

When Matt isn’t drumming for Periphery, he’s running BandHappy which allows you to take lessons from your favorite musicians online and on-tour. His playing is more focused on the groove then how fast he can play a blast beat. The kit he plays is just what he needs and nothing more; perfect for playing ghost notes.

2. Matt Greiner (August Burns Red)

If want to hear a great drummer who can play fast and also write some jazz parts, Matt is your man. He not only has great complex timing in his hand movements but also uses double bass in an interesting way and really compliments the rest of the music.

1. Chris Adler (Lamb of God)

Little known fact: Chris played bass long before he decided to pick up the drumsticks. His playing style is known for his creative fills and precision double bass and for his often used heel-toe technique. You can tell what band you’re listening to just by hearing his drumming.

KTM Staff Albums of the Year List

2012 has came and disappeared as fast it entered and there were great albums to go along with it. We’ve compiled several lists below; enjoy!
Top 10 Albums

Awakening - As I Lay Dying

As I Lay Dying went what they know for this record and that’s creating straight up metalcore. Circle pit riffs, crushing double bass, powerful vocals and a live experience to back it up. It’s worth noting there’s much clean vocals on this record than previous releases.

Listen to: A Greater Foundation

Get What You Give - The Ghost Inside

One of my favorite hardcore bands (despite Scott Vogel’s irrelevant opinion) in recent years, The Ghost Inside decided to change it up on Get What You Give with clean vocal choruses and some group shouts but still retaining their melodic/breakdown driven song structures

Listen to: Engine 45

The Royal Thousand - Glass Cloud

When I heard two of the members graduated from Berklee College of Music; I immediately became hooked after hearing the first single, “White Flag”. You may know the talented guitarist, Joshua Travis from his old band, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. His 8 string antics really add dynamics to a genre plagued by Hot Topic kids with swoop haircuts and V-necks. It must really suck to be Of Mice & Men right now.

Listen to: Ivy & Wine

Parkway Drive - Atlas

Australia has some of the best bands (Hands Like Houses, The Amity Affliction, I Killed The Prom Queen) and Parkway Drive are no exception. I’m truly convinced Winston McCall gargles some really fine Australian sand before he does a show because his vocals are some of the best I’ve heard.

Listen to: Old Ghost/New Regrets

Veil of Maya - Eclipse

A lot of people didn’t like this record cause they thought it was basically Periphery with Brandon Butler on vocals since Misha Mansoor co-wrote/produced this album. It’s some of their best work yet with lone guitarist Marc Okubo ripping up the fretboard. Sumeriancore at it’s best, at least until the new After The Burial comes out.

Listen to: Punisher

Whitechapel - Whitechapel

Lamb of God - Resolution

The Chariot - One Wing

Every Time I Die - Ex Lives

Periphery - Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal

Best New Band

Glass Cloud; they put out of the most impressive debuts for their respective genre.

Best Record Label

Sumerian Records; they have some of the most talented (and not so talented..) bands on their diverse roster.

Best PR/Publicist

George Vallee - Sumerian Records

PR people don’t get the recognition they deserve. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to cover shows and interview bands

Most Anticipated of 2013

Animals As Leaders
Austrian Death Machine
Born of Osiris
A Day to Remember
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Brand New
My Chemical Romance
Slipknot

___________________

The following list is from fellow contributor, Emily Bunn

Best Album: Deftones “Koi No Yokan”

The guys of Deftones did not disappoint with their follow up to 2010’s “Diamond Eyes”. “Koi No Yokan” fits right in with the sound that the Deftones made their own with “White Pony” and their self-titled. This album embodies everything I love about Deftones and I couldn’t be more happy with the album.

Best Tour: Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends 10 Year Anniversary Tour

I was only 11 years old when I first heard “You’re So Last Summer” From Tell All your Friends. This was the first album I ever bought with my own money and the first album I ever obsessed over. It’s still one of my favorite albums. To see the band perform it live from beginning to end was indescribable. The 11-year-old in me was beyond ecstatic.

Best New Band: Dead Sara

Dead Sara have had a huge year with the release of their first full length, acting as tour support for some big names, and taking part in the Vans Warped Tour over the summer. Their sound is not what you have come to expect with a female-fronted band, but it’s pure rock’n’roll.

Best Record Label: Sumerian Records

The people at Sumerian handled the Falling in Reverse/I See Stars debacle really well. They stood up for I See Stars and supported them throughout the situation and were quick to support the band’s statements on the whole issue. It’s always great when a label thoroughly supports their artists in tough situations like this.

Most Anticipated of 2013: Bring Me the Horizon

If “Shadow Moses” is anything to go by, the new BMTH album is going to be one of the best albums of 2013. Their last release leaves big shoes to fill, but from the little information the band has released about the new album it’s sure to live up to the expectations.

Song of the Year: Enter Shikari “Arguing with Thermometers"

Enter Shikari’s latest album is amazing from beginning to end, but “Arguing with Thermometers” has to be my favorite track. Not only is it a banger of a song, but the lyrics send a strong message about how corrupt our society has become and the effect we are having on our environment. The world needs more songs like this.

Artist of the Year: Pierce the Veil

Pierce the Veil played the main stage at the Vans Warped Tour, released their newest album “Collide With The Sky”, and sold out almost all of the dates on their headlining tour of the same name in 2012. They’ve proved that they are a forced to be reckoned with and they’re not going anywhere. I can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store for the quartet.