In this list, we have compiled a few artists we're watching in 2015. There's a diverse selection of local talent and smaller, signed bands as well.
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Looking to push for something more, Cardona is a six piece ambient/post hardcore/groove metal group Pulling together an original/universal sound to connect with all listeners. With the release of their debut EP "Seasons" topping the charts on Got-Djent.com, The band is quickly becoming an established name in the metal scene. Currently working on their first full length album.
Full disclosure; I showed up late and missed the first few bands.
When I finally arrived, For All Those Sleeping were in the middle of their set. I walked around and checked out merch for a bit. To be honest, I didn’t watch the next two bands, IWABO or CTC, for obvious reasons. Stray From The Path finally took the stage and got the crowd going with their new single, Badge and A Bullet. Which is very Rage Against The Machine influenced, if you ask me. Before they played, I made a comment to their guitarist Tom about dedicating their song iMember to CTC and FATS, which he thought was hilarious but they didn’t play the song unfortunately.
Up next was the legendary hardcore band, Terror. Scott Vogel, the vocalist, called for many stage dives, which the crowd happily obliged to. I was impressed that an actual hardcore band, let alone Terror, were playing this tour; I guess they were high up on the bill so they didn’t care who they played with.
Veil of Maya, who I have seen many times, were up next. The crowd noticeably dwindled down for them but I’m sure that the kids that left were the ones with the trendy Keepers of The Faith hoodies.
Cardona, a local GA metal band that played downstairs in the venue, were kicking butt as they headlined the local stage that night. After them, I walked back upstairs to see Chelsea Grin. Alex’s vocals actually sounded really good compared to when I saw then on their headliner last year. The newer material was awesome; Jason’s influence has definitely made the band step it up musically.
The lights go out. Paul Engemann’s “Push It To The Limit" is blaring over the PA. Every Time I Die walk on stage; chaos ensues. Buffalo, NY’s finest open their set with We’rewolf from “The Big Dirty” and the crowd goes nuts. The band convinced the venue to allow stage diving that night, which made the show so much better. The band played 23 songs, 12 of which were all from albums ranging from “Gutter Phenomenon” to their latest release, “Ex-Lives”. After the first 12 songs, they walked off stage for a short intermission and then returned to play their 2003 release, “Hot Damn!”, front to back. Nothing more needs to be said.
Looking to push for something different, Cardona are a five piece ambient/post hardcore/groove metal group pulling together an original/universal sound to connect with all listeners. With the release of their debut EP, “Our Thoughts Manifest This World,” the group quickly developed a stronger following in the following weeks after the release. With a new debut album “Seasons” topping the charts on Got-Djent.com with the single entitled “Seasons (ft. Daniel Adel)”, the band is quickly becoming an established name in the metal scene. Vocalist Samuel takes us through their new album, Seasons.
Insight
The first song on the album, this piece starts out talking about opening one’s mind. Accepting the fate of every man before you, one has to deal with the all the hate and stress the world offers. In order to even have a chance on this earth you have to be able to adapt to every challenging moment or you’ll be left in the wake.
Our Thoughts Manifest This World
Continuing the story, our thoughts is about using the collective mind force of all those alive to progress. With everyone going through life struggling with the same problems, we ignore the fact that people have similar problems. We go through life fighting a war alone. These “problems” that seem to be so overwhelming at times are universal. If we could just work together as a unit instead of individuals we would see that we could accomplish so much more, giving people hope for a better tomorrow.
Seasons
Seasons is basically the theme of the album. Like being lost in a dream realm, this song show how disorienting life can be. One major incident from the past can send a person into a vicious cycle of hate and sorrow. The cycles play out like the seasons; starting off to face the problem in spring and you’ve already failed come fall. Having to cope with that failure or loss, winter can be devastating eye-opener to those that can’t beat the cycle. Many people lose hope when they realize the same problems that affect them last year continue to plague them. We just have to learn to buckle down and face our fears, which is where our song Ariadne plays in.
Ariadne
Ariadne is about perseverance. Everyone is on their own path trying to reach an end. All plagued by hardships, we must continue to press forward regardless of what falls and who falls around us. Sometimes all we have left is the sheer remembrance of the fallen to keep us going, but we cant allow ourselves to get caught up in the sorrow of their grief or you might as well be dead. In plainer terms, push forward no matter what, but don’t forget the one’s who’ve fallen around you trying to accomplish the same thing.
Providence
To me, this song is our heaviest on the album lyrically. The whole first section is saying how cold-hearted the world is. Some people live in a bubble and are completely oblivious. They just walk their path aimlessly, forgetting all the while that we should all be lucky to be alive. People get so caught up in griping about the day to day problems, that they lose sight of all the accomplishments they’ve made to get to the point they are currently at. For some it is going to take an extremely tragic or devastating event to awake them and appreciate what they once had.
Atlantis
Being the final song on the album, Atlantis wraps everything up. This song brings a closure to this constant struggle that has maintained itself throughout the album. From the beginning of the album you’ve been trying to figure out why all these terrible things have to happen to you, or why that one traumatic event is still eating away at you. By Atlantis you’ve come to the conclusion that any action, regardless of outcome, is in the past. There is nothing you can do to change what’s happened, so you can’t allow yourself to get caught up in cycle that’s only going to keep you stuck in the rut. We hold on to things that do nothing but hurt us, and wonder why we are depressed. In order to move forward you must turn around and let go. Being stuck in the past is only going to have you back where you started.