Mayday Parade, The Maine, Attila, Memphis May Fire, Chiodos, Enter Shikari, Chelsea Grin, Crown The Empire, Dance Gavin Dance, A Skylit Drive, GHOST TOWN, After The Burial, Slaves, Upon A Burning Body, Beartooth, Fit For A King, Against The Current, Capsize, Boris The Blade, Courage My Love, Kublai Khan, The Alchemy Index, Fallujah, My Ticket Home, No Bragging Rights, The Color Morale, Vanna
Las Palmas Race Park
03/20/2015 06:00 PM CDT
$52.00 - $165.00
buy tickets
Mayday Parade
For the past seven years, the members of Tallahassee, Florida's Mayday Parade have honed their patented style of catchy, kinetic pop-punk with an outpour of real rock energy. The Florida quintet knows its identity, but it's got more excitement for the future with new album Monsters In The Closet. Their fourth studio album, Monsters In The Closet is a collection of everything the group's fervent fan base loves about Mayday Parade. Evincing evolution in songwriting, the band's growth shines through shimmering soaring hooks throughout the unshakable 12-track collection.
Mayday Parade has come a long way since their landmark 2007 debut, A Lesson In Romantics which debuted at #8 on the Billboard Heatseeker's Chart, holding a chart position for seventy weeks and laying the framework for the band's path to success. To date, their album sales have exceeded 600,000 while track sales surpass 3,000,000. Their self-titled third album entered the Billboard Top 200 at #12 in 2011, and the band has been a standout on the Punk Goes… series. Having crossed the globe on countless tours, the band's impressive tour resume includes acts such as Plain White T's, Pierce The Veil, All Time Low, The Maine, We The Kings, We Are The In Crowd, and Set Your Goals. This Florida based five-some stand poised for the biggest and brightest chapter yet.
The Maine
"Forever Halloween" Deluxe Edition out June 17th!
Attila
Party death metal rockers Attila formed in their hometown of Atlanta in 2005, meeting each other at their high school and through mutual friends. Their mutual love of music (and partying) brought the guys together to form what would eventually become the fourth imprint on the Artery Foundation/Razor & Tie joint venture, Artery Recordings.
When the guys set out to name their newly formed band, they knew they were looking for a simple, one word name that didn't imply the typical death metal cliché terms such as "blood, dying, and darkness." One day they found themselves in a bookstore passing around a book about Attila the Hun, and so Attila was born.
Over the years Attila has gone through a few lineup changes, but founding members Fronz and Sean have remained a constant staple. For the past two years, the band has consisted of Fronz (vocals), Nate (guitar), Chris (guitar), Sean (drums) and Paul (bass). This lineup really brought together Attila's sound and image that they are known for today. The band began touring full time and as of summer 2010, has been on the road almost non-stop for two years.
Attila released two prior albums, Fallacy and Soundtrack To A Party, on Statik Factory Records, and have previously toured with Arsonists Get All The Girls, See You Next Tuesday, Chelsea Grin, America Me, and We Are The End. RAGE, Attila's Artery Recording/Razor & Tie debut will be released May 11, 2010, and is a unique mix of heavy music infused with elements that make each song fun to listen to and put the listener in the mood to party. "The title can be perceived in many ways, one obviously being a state of extreme anger, and the other being the slang meaning – to party! I have always been a fan of play-on-words and double meanings, and that's what drew me to this title more than anything," Fronz commented.
While Attila certainly evokes thoughts of partying, the band is trying to expand the public's immediate thoughts about party metal through RAGE. They describe the album and their overall take on music as a way of letting loose and having fun, and allowing the listener to take away that message in whatever context they find fitting. As Fronz said, "All we want is for the listener to have a fun experience, and that is the main message behind RAGE."
Memphis May Fire
Matty Mullins – Vocals
Kellen McGregor – Guitar, Vocals
Anthony Sepe – Guitar
Cory Elder – Bass
Jake Garland – Drums
The music of Memphis May Fire is the sound of hope and compassion, delivered by a dedicated group of men striving for something greater than the world around them. Memphis May Fire is a clarion call to those who insist on bettering themselves, their loved ones and the conditions afflicting the world. It's not about divisive politics, it's not about polarizing debate – it's about the transcendent power of love through heavy rock.
The body of work Memphis May Fire has crafted over their last three albums, together with producer and collaborator Cameron Mizell (Sleeping With Sirens, The Word Alive), represents a creative achievement beyond even what the band's formidable success would suggest. Sure, Unconditional arrived at #1 on Billboard's Rock, Independent andHard Music charts, but that was just the mainstream icing on a cake that was lovingly baked by fans around the world who've discovered Memphis May Fire in the live setting, from satellite radio, from social media and from each other.
These five guys are like family to over a million fans following Memphis May Fire on Facebook, the tens of thousands who rushed out to put this year's Unconditional at #4 in the Billboard 200, the dedicated diehards who empty the magazine rack whenever the group graces the cover of Big Cheese, Alternative Press, Outburn, etc. and the early believers who made Challenger the highest selling debut ever for Rise Records to that point when it was released in 2012. YouTube clips like "Sleepless Nights," "Miles Away," "The Sinner," and "Vices" together represent more than 20 million views.
Charismatic frontman Matty Mullins, emboldened by a renewed purpose and the type of humility derived from personal struggles not dissimilar to the stories the band hears from their fans, leads the charge against a backdrop of instantly memorable hooks and bottom-heavy crunch. It's all ably crafted by lead guitarist/co-founder Kellen McGregor, longtime bassist Cory Elder, deeply skilled drum basher Jake Garland and most recent addition Anthony Sepe, whose guitar chops came forth in the Challenger era.
"I feel a duty to put all of my cards on the table," explains Mullins, speaking specifically about the emotional vulnerability all over the songs on Unconditional. "This album came from a very personal place. It's very important for people find out someone else has gone through what they have. Otherwise, you feel like you're losing your mind."
The unity of shared purpose is palpable at a Memphis May Fire show, whether songs like "No Ordinary Love," "Beneath the Skin" or "Losing Sight" are blasting from the Warped Tour's main stage or emanating from the speakers at one of the packed clubs the band makes their nightly home. Cares cast aside, problems pushed to the forefront, the visceral connection between artist and audience is alive and audible with each sing-a-long chant. Melodic mood swingers like "Speechless" and "Need to Be" demonstrate the full capacity and scope of what Memphis May Fire is capable of doing, winning them spots on major radio festivals like Welcome to Rockville and Carolina Rebellion as their heavier side secures fests such as Download and With Full Force.
An organic and incremental growth has propelled Memphis May Fire ever since they followed their underground 2009 debut album with 2011's The Hollow, a modern metalcore masterpiece that led into the broadened musical horizons of their commercial breakthrough, Challenger, and the 2014 Album of the Year contender Unconditional.
Plenty of Memphis May Fire's contemporaries have fans that profess their adoration, gratitude & even spiritual connection to the power of music, but few groups embrace the full responsibility inherent within those reactions the way Memphis May Fire has, acknowledging that something bigger than rock n' roll has taken hold. Make no mistake, Memphis May Fire deliver hard rock anthems steeped in modern subculture and the best of radio rock, but their purpose continues to evolve into something greatly bigger than themselves, with no limit as to what they can achieve.
Chiodos
Recently reunited with original vocalist Craig Owens and drummer Derrick Frost, Chiodos are reinvigorated and hitting the road this Fall.
Look for them on the cover of Alternative Press' September issue!
Enter Shikari
Abusing music's worthless genre boundaries since 2003. www.entershikari.com
Chelsea Grin
A Chelsea Grin in soccer hooligan terminology is the act of cutting a rivals mouth with either a credit card or blade and then kicking them in the crotch so their mouth muscles split into a bloody grimace. Chelsea Grin, the band from Utah armed with THREE guitarists use a foundation of hardcore grit combined with death metal technicality and grind speed to produce as much aural harm as the back alley jaw split. The band is the premiere artist on Artery Recordings, a new imprint of Razor & Tie Entertainment, and are releasing their debut full-length Desolation Of Eden this February. The album will hit in the midst of the band's two month run with The Red Chord and My Children My Bride (dates on following page). Artery Recordings is the recording arm of The Artery Foundation who are the management team responsible for jumpstarting the careers of Whitechapel, The Devil Wears Prada, A Day To Remember, Attack Attack! and Impending Doom. Speaking on why Chelsea Grin get the Artery seal of approval, Eric Rushing, President of the company says "The first time I saw this band I was completely blown away and the crowd interaction was just as intense, it reminded me of the first time I saw Whitechapel. This band is very young and the kids are already loving them coast to coast. Very excited about their debut!"
Desolation Of Eden was tracked at Lambesis Studios owned by Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying and bares the hallmarks of Chelsea Grin's devastating live show. Songs like the title track and Sonnet Of The Wretched utilize the double bass drumming, three guitar attack, ultra low bass frequencies and wraith-like vocals into a wall of sound to devastating effect. Brutatlity aside what separates the band from many of their contemporaries according to Jaek (guitar) is "obviously our age, we are a very young band being mostly 18 and 19. I know a lot of people have an impression on metal bands is that they are big, burly dudes with beards and not very approachable. We pretty much are the opposite of that, we are always hanging out with the fans at shows because we are them! Teenagers that like heavy music and hanging out."
Age aside Chelsea Grin is made up of Alex (vocals), Michael (guitar), Andrew (drums), Dan (guitar), David (bass) and Jaek, and have completed feats that bands existing twice as long have not. Forming from the ashes of Ahaziah, Chelsea Grin got active in March 2008. "Right after we formed we recorded our first EP made up of five songs and started playing local shows. Soon after we signed to a small indie called Statik Factory and released a single called Recreant and did a small west coast tour in June of that year. The following month Statik Factory released our EP. Very quickly after that our Myspace page was getting hits from around the country and we found ourselves not only being established in Utah but kids all over were writing us and listening to us."
Speaking on the obvious development between the earlier songs and the audio crushing output of Desolation Of Eden Jaek comments "Lyrically we have matured quite a bit, when we wrote the EP a lot of our early lyrics dealt with betrayal by females that we didn't think very fondly of. A lot of younger males could relate those lyrics to ex-girlfriends, friends whatever. However after our experiences of freedom within this band, I find a lot of our songs are about breaking away from voices of authority and ultimately living life the way you want to live it. We also re-recorded our older songs Recreant and Cheyne Stokes so the brutal songs will still be there (laughs)."
Chelsea Grin has completed tours with Arsonists Get All The Girls, A Plea For Purging, American Me, Dr.Acula, Attila and Within The Ruins and shared stages with Suicide Silence, Parkway Drive, My Children My Bride. (Tour dates follow)
Crown The Empire
It’s true: A picture does paint a thousand words, even if the artist uses sound—rather than pigment and pencil—to create that image. For the Dallas-based outfit Crown The Empire, that means making music on a level rarely seen nowadays, combining visual aesthetics, theatrical sonic textures and thought-provoking lyrics for an audio experience that takes the listener on a wild ride of epic proportions. And they’re just getting started.
Armed with The Fallout, the band’s recent full-length debut, Crown The Empire are bringing a high-energy, visually stimulating and thematically engaging side to post-hardcore, that’s already created a massive buzz for the still-embryonic outfit. Set amid a charred post-apocalyptic landscape, listening to The Fallout is an unforgettable excursion into the imaginations of its makers.
“We wanted this music to constantly make you feel what we were feeling and what we were writing about, whether it’s the softer or heavier songs,” explains Andy Leo, “We were trying to make it the sound of what you should be feeling; if you were watching a movie, this would be the score.”
Crown The Empire—which includes vocalists Andy Leo and David Escamilla, guitarists Brandon Hoover and Bennett Vogelman, drummer Brent Taddie and bassist Hayden Tree—formed in Dallas, Tex. in 2011, after Leo connected with Hoover and Tree, with the goal of starting a new project. Taddie and Vogelman—both discovered through videos of them playing covers on YouTube—joined later that year, and those early efforts led to the November 2011 EP Limitless. Then in March 2012 second vocalist Escamilla was added to the fold, solidifying the lineup as it currently exists, giving birth to the band’s full-length debut, The Fallout, released November 2012. Over the past two years the band has toured both nationally and abroad, with slots on the recent Our Last Night run, the 2013 Take Action tour with The Used, select dates with Falling In Reverse, and a U.K. run with Pierce the Veil. Crown The Empire were also recently featured on the cover of Alternative Press’ annual “Bands You Need To Know” issue.
Sequestered in Michigan with famed producer Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, We Came As Romans, Miss May I), the band spent August and September of 2012 laying down the intricate compositions that comprise The Fallout, recording well through the night on most evenings. A painstaking process by all accounts, Leo says he spent six weeks living in Sturgis’ basement, subsisting on ramen noodles and microwave meals, but couldn’t be happier with the results. Sturgis is known for both his sparkling sonic touch, as well as his knack for adding cinematic elements to the music, and both qualities help make The Fallout shine.
“Joey didn’t change much song structure-wise; he mainly made it sound good,” explains Leo. “We have a more defined approach of what we want an album to sound like, and Joey is the perfect producer for that. We wanted all this real sound, and he captured that.”
“What would be left behind at the end of the world? Metal, gears…The bass booms on the record have explosions in them, and glass breaking, and gears turning over, sounding like a broken-down industrial park,” says drummer Brent Taddie, regarding the album’s end-of-world vibe. “There would be power grids, wires, steel left behind. All those explosions, the heavy parts, the aggressive vocals are breaking down the end of the world. The strings, the clean vocals are kind of the harmony coming through, but the guitar, the kick drum, the explosions—that’s supposed to be the destruction…the end of the world.”
The dark and cinematic soundscape that pervades The Fallout reflects the album’s post-apocalyptic theme, which actually began as a metaphor for a failed relationship. Leo says the idea came about after a member had broken up with a girlfriend, later realizing the full impact of his decision. Using some poetic license, the split was transformed into a global doomsday-inducing event.
“Her friends kept saying, ‘You ended her world,’” Leo remembers. “I was sitting around with a Brandon, telling him about it, and we decided, what if it did actually end the world with that breakup? From there, we started building this idea of the end of the world, and built a setting for it around this theme of being alone and faced against people. It all spawned out of a breakup, but it turned into this huge, massive world.”
Perhaps no track on The Fallout conveys this central them more than “Memories Of A Broken Heart.” Although one of the softer moments on the album, Leo says the lyrics are especially impactful in the record’s overall context. “That song has the perfect syllogism for the end of the world and the breakup. It talks about both,” says Leo. “I was outside and thought of the idea for the lyric ‘I stand on the ash of all I’ve ever loved.’ I was so stoked, because we’d already come up with the idea for the end of the world being a breakup. That line was about the ashes of a building, or the ashes of relationships.”
To date the band has released two music videos to accompany the The Fallout’s release: a two-part series for the tracks “Oh Catastrophe” and the title track. The visual story arc in the two videos conveys a tale of star-crossed lovers separated by differences in ideology, rather than being united by love.
“We came up with this idea of a weird Romeo and Juliet thing, with people not making the tough choices and arguing over things like religion, and all these things that at the end of the world wouldn’t matter. Somebody’s gonna be wrong,” says Leo. “I was thinking of how stubborn someone could be to see the end of the world not ending the way their book said it would, and still trying to argue. In the video, there’s this idea that love—this couple—could disband the army that was trying to keep them apart. They couldn’t see the love that was in front of them.”
With The Fallout still fresh, Crown The Empire have an extensive tour itinerary planned for the coming months, with a headlining run booked for spring and a slot on the Rise Records Tour (alongside labelmates Like Moths To Flames), then a full slate of dates on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour. Leo says as the group continue to build momentum, they plan on making their live shows progressively more elaborate and cinematic, further bringing Crown The Empire’s evocative brand of music to life.
“We’re constantly talking about new backdrops, new cabinets, new gear…how we can sound better. Eventually we want to be talking about what kind of rigs can we build on stage, what kind of lighting can we bring, what sort of pyrotechnics. That’s a huge part we love, that a lot of the bands have lost out on: the idea of a big festival for your eyes and not just your ears,” says Leo. “I think the shows will take a whole new level in the future. They’re always going to just get bigger.”
Dance Gavin Dance
Dance Gavin Dance is an American post-hardcore band formed in Sacramento, California in 2005. They released four full length studio albums and one EP. Their latest effort, Downtown Battle Mountain II was released on March 8, 2011.
A Skylit Drive
Our new album RISE is out NOW!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rise/id692799409
GHOST TOWN
Ghost Town is an audio and visual movement ahead of its time; catering to the young generation of today while keeping true to the underground scene they come from.
Huge drums (MannYtheDrummeR), funky guitar riffs (Alix Monster), unique vocals (Kevin Ghost), and futuristicelectronics (Evan Pearce) are the main elements that give Ghost Town their sound, along with the artwork of Alistar Dippner, aka imamachinst, who uses Ghost Town's drop dead sounds as inspiration to bring each song to life with his shocking visuals.
The energy in their songs is evident in the recordings but is even more amplified in their live show. Armed with forward thinking and an army of 'Ghosts' they are striving to make history.
After The Burial
An uninhibited eight-stringed dual barrage of frenetic riffs and dynamic chord progression is exactly what the crushing new AFTER THE BURIAL delivers withpinpoint precision. The highly acclaimed new album, In Dreams, is quickly going to raise the bar for all others within the metal genre as this group effectively unleashes a frenzy of jaw-dropping dual guitar dynamics that is backed by a captivating energy and groove resulting in an overall unrelenting output of punishment. This Minnesota quintet is hell-bent on forging their own unique path within the extreme metal genre and In Dreams proves that they are well on their way to that very goal.
Justin (guitars) states: "We've spent the last year putting all of our hard work into this album, and we can assure you that the intricate dynamics of In Dreams will satisfy your appetite for the crushing guitars, driving drums and powerful vocals you've come to expect from us."
AFTER THE BURIAL spent the winter of 2010 touring relentlessly across North America on the "December Decimation" tour. This group has something for everyone that pleases the tech nuts while providing an entertaining stage show that is sure to always get the metalcore kids into a violent frenzy. This is a band that thrives on the road and tours relentlessly across the world non-stop. This is an extreme metal hybrid that is a voracious assault on all the senses forcing your brain to fire on all cylinders in order to process the amount of material that is currently being pounded into your ears. This is thinking man's metal and it's not for the weak minded.
AFTER THE BURIAL's highly acclaimed sophomore album, Rareform, hinted at their true potential, but In Dreams brings all of their combined talents to fruition. The disc opens with a freight train of brutality and sheer brute force busting out at the seams and never lets up on the gas for a split second. Each track will keep you on your toes guessing what might possibly be next in this never-ending array of intensity. This is essentially a roller coaster of unconventionality, so strap yourself in tight and prepare for a wild ride.
Slaves
The Sacramento-based band features Jonny Craig (Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa) , an artist who has built a name and reputation for himself but is now branching out with his new band SLAVES.
Slaves features Craig's unique, critically acclaimed voice, which is drenched with emotion and rich with soul, all the while leaving you salivating for more.
"Men have been enslaving men for as along as we've had gods to hide behind," Craig said. "Every man is a slave to what we love — whether it be women, drugs, music or sports. Through art we are all equals."
Upon A Burning Body
Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, the five piece metal/hardcore hybrid juggernaut has been turning heads in the underground DIY circuit for years now. Paying their dues as a hardworking independent band have definitely paid off. They were hand-picked to be the special guests for all of Texas on the Thrash and Burn 2009 Tour w/ DevilDriver, Emmure, Despised Icon & Veil of Maya and now 2010 has the band poised to explode.
Beartooth
Caleb Shomo – Vocals
Taylor Lumley – Guitar
Kamron Bradbury – Guitar
Oshie Bichar – Bass
Brandon Mullins – Drums
Collaborative creativity can produce brilliant results, but there's something almost otherworldly about what emerges from the minds of remarkably talented artists, the types who've lived many lifetimes in a short period, left to his/her own devices.
As much as Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure or Foo Fighters (particularly on that first album) are considered "bands," they brazenly exhibit the precision focused passion of a specific person; often a person bursting at the seams with something to say. BEARTOOTH began and in many ways continues to be such an artist, bubbling forth from the psyche, soul and complex emotions buried in multitalented instrumentalist and songwriter, Caleb Shomo.
Beartooth shares equal inspiration with brutal metalcore as with old-school punk like The Ramones and the bombastic theatricality of Queen. The end result is a back-to-basics hardcore stomp that would get the crowd moving at a Hatebreed or Terror show, interspersed with a steadfast determination to give equal importance to anthemic choruses.
"I made the whole thing by myself," Shomo says of Beartooth's debut album, Disgusting, out this summer via Red Bull Records. "The entire record, front to back, is literally a reflection of my thoughts and my mental well-being at the time. The album captures every end of the spectrum musically and lyrically. I know this may sound strange, but I didn't write these songs for anyone. I wrote just to write. All of the songs came about because I love writing Beartooth songs. That's it. I won't record a song unless I love it, unless I believe in it. I won't do it any other way."
Beartooth began as a way to blow off steam and add another dimension to Shomo's genre-hopping creative output. He and his hometown friends started jamming; hanging out in his Columbus, OH basement studio and playing music for fun. They released an EP, Sick, and then hit the road, touring North America and Europe with genre titans August Burns Red, Memphis May Fire, The Word Alive and Of Mice & Men, among others. In between support slots the five-piece headlined everything from basements to club shows, building a strong and devoted following. The EP's accompanying music videos for "Go Be the Voice" and "I Have a Problem" (both live and traditional) quickly accumulated over one million views, and set the stage for the band's next endeavor, Disgusting.
While he's still a very young guy, Shomo has lived a lifetime in music already. He had already dabbled in a project with Escape The Fate cofounder Max Green and Craig Mabbit (Blessthefall/The World Alive/Escape The Fate) when he was called up to play keyboards for Attack Attack! at the tender age of 15. The band incited polarizing dialogue around the world, as some jaded critics mocked the group's "crabcore" while a new generation of fans followed the band's every move. Shomo found himself thrust into the front man role following a series of lineup changes. The band's self-titled sophomore effort debuted at #1 on Billboard's Independent chart.
Shomo was handling all of the vocals, programming and production duties by the time the third Attack Attack! album, This Means War, broke into the Top 10. The record sold 17,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #8 on the Billboard Top 200.
Battling the same type of depression, anxiety and overindulgence as many of his fans, Shomo bowed out of Attack Attack! to get himself together, and the songs on Disgusting reflect that struggle.
The closing track, "Sick and Disgusting," is so personal that Shomo has trouble listening to it. It an intense exploration of the mental health issues he's struggled with, not dissimilar from the raw truth found on Korn's eponymous debut, or Reznor's open confessions of drug addiction scattered throughout NIN. It's a song where Shomo just hit "record" and let it all pour out.
"I almost didn't put it on the record because I felt embarrassed about people hearing it," Shomo confesses. "It is really intense for me personally. It's hard to explain but suffice it to say, it's a song about a lot of mental health things I've dealt with. If people listen to it and understand where I'm coming from and respect it, great. If other people think I sound like an idiot because I start crying in a song, I really don't care. I know how much I put into that song emotionally. It's one straight take, all the way through. I realized I'd be shorting myself if I didn't put it on the record."
Alternatively, a track like "Beaten in Lips" is written from Caleb's experiences outside his own world: he wrote it from the perspective of abused kids with nowhere to turn. "I was just thinking about it one day, about how absolutely ridiculous it is that some parents abuse their children," he explains.
The album's opening track, "The Lines," hits a lighter note. "We have been playing that song live before the record comes out. It's just a fun jam. I wanted to write riffs that people can jump around and get wild to. People can sing at shows and have fun. I want people to sing along so they feel as much a part of the show as we are. I love doing house shows, shows without barricades, floor shows."
There's a beautiful authenticity in Beartooth's music, which is the result of Shomo's simple intention: to write songs for the sake of writing songs. There is nothing calculated, nothing crafted for mass appeal. It's simply the truth of his experiences and emotions.
"Red Bull Records has been backing whatever I want to do musically which has been really refreshing," Shomo says. "There isn't any pressure to write certain types of songs or to have a certain sound. I don't go into my basement thinking, 'OK, I've got to write a pop song' or 'I've got to write a heavy song.' The songs are what they are and are allowed to be whatever comes out of me. Beartooth ends up having a lot of dynamics that way, a lot of diversity. I never want to make a record that becomes boring."
Fit For A King
There is a common phrase amongst sportscasters that certain athletes “play the game the right way” – their fundamentals are so sound, their skill set so honed that they could be considered a case study in the most proper way to approach the sport they represent.
Tyler, Texas based newcomers FIT FOR A KING just might represent how that metaphor applies to a band. By forging ahead on their own path, making music well beyond their years, making it from the heart, and laying waste to their peers in the process, FIT FOR A KING have created a thing to marvel at - an impressive independent campaign that exemplifies the way “the game” should be played by an upstart band.
The hotly tipped metalcore band has been elbowing its way onto the national scene as a full-time touring outfit, cultivating fans at an alarming clip with a crushingly heavy, artful take on the genre that gives subtle tips of the hat to bands as diverse as THE ACACIA STRAIN, CIRCA SURVIVE and LINKIN PARK. The band’s passionate music, coupled with an explosive live show, has made FIT FOR A KING a sensation in the independent music scene.
Following several years of relentless DIY touring and a well-received, independently released album (2011’s Descendents), FIT FOR A KING are reaping the benefits of their hard work. Last July the industrious group was signed by Solid State Records, who quickly ushered the band into the studio to record their label debut Creation/Destruction, and take their already surging career to new heights.
Recorded with esteemed producer Andreas Magnusson (OH, SLEEPER, HASTE THE DAY, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER), Creation/Destruction is at once the fulfillment of a longtime dream for FIT FOR A KING, and just the first step in what is sure to sure to be an incredible journey for a band with massive potential.
“Words cannot even express how excited we are to join the Solid State family,” vocalist Ryan Kirby says. “We grew up listening to Solid State bands and for us to actually be on this label is the best feeling we've had as a band. We'd been waiting and holding off on labels for so long until we felt we had the right one, and we absolutely do.”
“We can definitely feel the momentum starting to build. Our fans were super excited for us and we have seen a big increase in the growth of our fan base in the past six months,” Kirby continues. “Longtime fans can expect a more energetic, hard hitting album with the same passionate lyrics that we like to bring to the table. And what some fans may not expect is just how heavy and dark this album gets lyrically and musically.”
Like a future-star athlete ready to prove his worth after a high draft position, FIT FOR A KING are ready to deliver with the release of Creation/Destruction. Sports metaphors notwithstanding - this is a band that knows how to play the game the right way and one that will be converting fans nightly.
Start filling out those Rookie of the Year ballots now.
Against The Current
Against The Current is a 5 piece pop band from Poughkeepsie, NY consisting of Chrissy Costanza, Dan Gow, Will Ferri, Jeremy Rompala, and Joe Simmons. With a rapidly growing social media presence on sites like YouTube, their first EP on the horizon (produced by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount), and experience supporting up-and-coming pop acts like Alex Goot and Sam Tsui, ATC is poised to leave their mark on 2014.
Capsize
"Pale" - http://youtu.be/QHkQX_tKKBw
"I'll Take The Blame" - http://youtu.be/gjXOPkjg7Lc
Boris The Blade
http://youtu.be/cOwJWAuOb2c
Thanks to their balls-to-wall brand of technical deathcore, Melbourne’s BORIS THE BLADE have earned a reputation amongst fans worldwide for being Australia’s most violently heavy metal act.
The release of their debut EP ‘Tides of Damnation’ in 2011 on RTD Records marked the beginning of the bands rapid ascent to the top tier of the Australian brutal music scene. The EP debuted at #1 on the iTunes metal chart, culminating in national tours and support slots for international metal acts - and Australia’s own Parkway Drive – all within the bands first 6 months of existence.
The success of the EP was followed up with extensive touring, including supporting Obey The Brave (CAN), All Shall Perish (USA), Thy Art Is Murder (AUS) and Bleeding Through (USA) on their final Australian tour.
2014 sees BORIS THE BLADE sign with Siege of Amida / Century Media for the worldwide release of their debut LP ‘The Human Hive’, as the band takes their live assault global.
Courage My Love
What is courage? When you're a young rock 'n' roll band—courage is throwing yourself into your music fully and completely. It's stepping onto a stage and just given'r. It's touring new places far from home, and opening up, scars and all, to your fans. Courage is saying what you really think. It's being unafraid of change, of becoming who you really are.
Courage My Love is all of these things.
The Kitchener, Canada band consists of twin sisters Mercedes Arn-Horn (vocals, guitar) and Phoenix Arn-Horn (drums. vocals) with their friend Brandon Lockwood (bass).
Call them a power trio, pop-punk, alternative metal. As you wish. They grew up on it all. But while you are jumping around and banging your head with abandon, don't miss the message: They have no appetite for destruction. They do not seek to destroy. No, Courage My Love is here to uplift, inspire.
Becoming, the band's new EP, produced by Chris Perry in Toronto, is eight tracks bled out of Courage My Love during a period of exciting changes. "Our first EP For Now came out when we were 17," explains Mercedes. "When you're our age, a lot can happen in two years." Yes, many good things. Like heavy rotation on MuchMusic/MusiquePlus, more than 3.8 million YouTube views, and being on Alternative Press Magazine's list of the Top 100 Bands to Know in 2012. "Before we went on tour we'd never been away from home," says the guitarist. "You meet all these new people, and you learn about yourselves. We've all grown a lot. That was the inspiration for Becoming."
Opening track "Skin and Bones" captures the fear and longing of leaving something behind. "We're too old to die young," they sing over thunderous beats, the heart of the matter. Hard- knocking first single "You Don't Know How" cranks it up, intense and defiant: "Find out I'm strong enough on my own now." By the time the EP closes with the haunting ballad "Dark Wood, Dark Water," about finding the one thing that pulls you out of the darkness, Courage My Love's mission is clear: rock out, be happy, stay true.
For this next generation of musicians, that means truly embracing social media. With their popular DIY podcasts and viral videos, Courage My Love not only connect with fans, they reveal more of their true selves. It's all part of what they do best. "This whole band is about being yourself," says Phoenix. "You don't need to play by the book to be successful. Being a girl isn't that big of a deal in music anymore. You don't need to have a certain look. Break the rules, stand apart."
Kublai Khan
Energetic, aggressive, and passionate music. A four piece metalcore band based in north Texas. We say whats on our hearts to express how we feel, who we are, what we stand for, and wont stand for, as well as the problems of our generation. In hopes of tapping into the underground and revealing the unseen lives and feelings of the youth in modern American society. We are fighting to make an impact in a music scape bogged down with meaningless lyrics and recycled with mindless music. Trying to push messages that often get overlooked or ignored in the nation today, hoping to use our music as a vessel to relate with people and emit hope.
The Alchemy Index
Debut Single "A Bitter Township" Out On YouTube: http://youtu.be/Fj2AAkYUmas
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/abittertownship
Fallujah
In Early 2007 A group of high school friends (Alex Hofmann, Scott Carstairs, Tommy Logan, Dan Wissinger, And Suliman Arghandiwal) from the east bay first started jamming and writing music. The initial product being both misguided and adolescent, the band played its first show on June 15th 2007 In walnut creek. The First 4 song Demo (which is and forever will be out of print) was released in late june of 2007. The songs "tyrant", "verdict", Schleicher", And "Infidel" were the first tracks to define the bands sound, which at the times was hardcore grind and death metal in the vein of The Acacia Strain, Converge, and Despised Icon.
Later that year the bands parted with their bassist Dan Wissinger due to other commitments and their drummer Tommy Logan as well. Brandon "Brando" Hoberg (ex-Vivisection) Joined on bass and Andrew Baird (ex Someones Lullaby) On drums. The band continued to play shows around the bay area and over time broke out into areas such as the Central Valley, Sacramento, and Central Coast. In Winter 2007 The band recorded their 2nd demo (Which is and forever will be out of print) at TWS studios in Vacaville. The songs "Prophets", "Tyrant", and "100 Years From Now" pushed the band further in the realm of musicianship and well rounded song structure. The songs were released January 2008.
After nearly a year of playing songs from previous recordings, the band had done quite a bit of growing musically and began writing their debut EP which was eventually named "Leper Colony". Prior to recording, the band parted ways with their original singer Suliman for personal reasons and guitar player Alex Hofmann took up vocals and Rob Maramonte (ex-Eviscerated) joined on as a new guitar player. The songs were a huge leap forward on maturity as the band truly defined their own sound blending technical death metal, black metal, and atmosphere while still retaining a heavy and energetic vibe. The band Recorded with Sam Pura of Panda Studios in San Francisco. The Songs were released in January of 2009.
The band expanded its conquered territory and reputation greatly in the months after The Release of "Leper Colony". The band ventured from Chico, Fresno, Bakersfield, and in the summer of 2009 the band embarked on its first legitimate tour with Oakland's Antagony. The band toured California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The bands came home successful after over 2 weeks of basement shows, parties, and van breakdowns.
Fallujah has since evolved to be one of those most aspiring and respected SF Bay area bands. The band evolved once again both musically and lyrically with songs concerning Satanism, religious fundamentalism, secret societies, nature, and social fallacies. With imagery provided by Artist and Singer Alex Hofmann the band progressed visually as well to a finely tuned machine. In late summer 2009 the band started writing their 2nd EP taking their largest leap forward combining atmospheric and depressive black metal, progressive death metal, and fusion to truly define a unique sound unlike anything else heard in the underground music scene. With the help of mini labels "Grind-house Music" and "Foot & Mouth Records" the EP is to be released worldwide. The band once again evolved in form with the parting of longtime bassist and guitar player Brandon Hoberg and Rob Maramonte due to musical and personal differences. The band took in Anthony Borges(ex-Scourge of Medusa, Valkyrja, and Suffokate) and Danny Farhoud (ex-Scourge of Medusa and Valkyrja). The band will be embarking on a month long US tour with friends Rise of Caligula and plans to release its next album in January 2010.
My Ticket Home
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, MY TICKET HOME has been stirring up mosh pits across the country since 2009. Forming the band as teenagers, MY TICKET HOME has matured their sound from hyper-aggressive Metalcore into a new band of heavy music that the band lovingly refers to as "PUKE ROCK." Abandoning the Metalcore genre's repetitive breakdowns, and dime a dozen lyrics, the band's original influences have inspired them to create a more modern Nu-Metal sound with a Grunge aesthetic. The band has released three albums on Rise Records, and completed 16 US/Canadian tours. They are currently in support of their most recent release, "Strangers Only."
No Bragging Rights
No Bragging Rights began to take its present shape in the summer of 2005. Since then, the 5 piece Metalcore band has self released 2 CD's (an EP and a full Length) which have collectively sold 8k+ copies World Wide.
When NBR began work on their first self released full length album, "Because You Believe…" the band was at a crossroads. Member changes and new ideas took them in a heavier, more hardcore oriented direction. The early 2006 release was well received in the local scene, and helped establish the band outside of their home town.
"The Anatomy of a Martyr" EP released in the summer of 2007, and catapulted NBR to the national stage. Relentless DIY touring grew the band exponentially and attracted the attention of Pure Noise Entertainment. The label re-released "The Anatomy of a Martyr" in 2008, and in the spring of 2009 debuted "The Consequence of Dreams" LP.
Band Members
Vocals - Mike Perez
Bass - "Handsome" Rick
Guitar - Christian Lee
Guitar - Daniel Garrow
Drums - Martin Alcedo
The Color Morale
Life brings two kinds of pain: the kind that hurts and the kind that transforms.
THE COLOR MORALE stands with their fans. Hurting together. Healing together. Strengthening each other through the common bonds of brokenness, suffering and a hope for redemption. The group's ever-building following stands with them, too: they made the Alternative Press cover stars' third album #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and flood their social media channels with heartfelt messages of encouragement.
The Color Morale is conscious of the power of heavy riffs, big melodies and impassioned truths to relieve and communicate. The idea behind Hold On Pain Ends, is as refreshingly simple as the old adage, "If you're going through Hell… Keep going."
On their fourth album and first for Fearless Records, the Alternative Press cover stars and Breakthrough Band nominees explore new depths of power, emotion and feeling.
This generation is under assault. Broken homes, neglectful parents, dystopian urban landscapes, draconian education centers – it's no wonder so many are in the throes of addiction, or succumbing to self-harm, or starving themselves, or inducing vomiting just to feel "good enough" or "good looking," or in some cases, just to feel at all. But
anguish doesn't have to be permanent. That's why the album is called Hold On Pain Ends.
Lead singer and cofounder Garret Rapp doesn't mince words when talking about purpose. "If you're in a band and your band gets big at all, you really can use that to do a lot of good. Bands come and go, so make the best of your time. When I'm at the show, my time should be spent out there on the ground, in the dirt, with everyone else there."
It's from that pressing of the flesh and conversation with the fans that Rapp and the rest of The Color Morale – guitarists Devin King and Aaron Saunders, bassist Mike Honson and cofounder/drummer Steve Carey – drew inspiration for Hold On Pain Ends. Producer Mike Green (Paramore, Pierce The Veil, All Time Low) enabled the band to hone in on their most vibrant, focused and overwhelmingly powerful collection of songs.
The early rumble of We All Have Demons (2009) and My Devil in Your Eyes (2011) can still be heard, with plenty of slices of the creative bombast of the band's breakthrough album, Know Hope (2013), throughout. Longtime The Color Morale true believers will be thrilled with Hold On Pain Ends. Fans of rabblerousing radio saboteurs Rise Against, post-hard- core artisans Glassjaw and post-punkers Face To Face should take heed, too.
Armed with the life experience and the talent to convey a realistic but ultimately positive message in a way that resonates with those under the thumb of life's more awful alter- natives to a healthy existence, The Color Morale confess their personal problems as a means of showing empathy with what their audience is going through.
"Prey for Me" sets the tone for The Color Morale's fully realized musical identity. "Dam- naged" offers an impassioned exploration of Rapp's rocky childhood. "Outer Demons" has an old-school punk meets metalcore feel. "Suicide doesn't end the pain, it passes it to the ones you loved and remains," Rapp bellows in "Suicide;Stigma," which offers some semblance of solutions. Dave Stephens from We Came As Romans guests. Speaking of guests, Craig Owens from Chiodos lends a hand on "Developing Negative," which tack- les another difficult subject from a very personal place. "I've struggled with addiction," Rapp confesses. "Even my best friends don't know about it."
The Color Morale's insistence on communication, participation and inspiration puts them in front of the pack, as the band crisscrosses the globe connecting with crowds while on tour with contemporaries like Of Mice & Men, We Came As Romans, Escape The Fate, August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada. Each performance is a chance to further erode the false divide between band and audience. The Color Morale breaks down that wall, brick by brick, with every performance and every fan interaction.
"At the end of the day, I just want to find the place where I can do the most good in my life," Rapp concludes. "I think the place I'll do the most good right now is helping kids deal with messed up their surroundings are and how hard life can be at times."
Vanna
Sometimes, the road can actually feel like home for a band. It's only natural as the bulk of a musician's time is spent traversing the globe and playing countless cities in something of a whirlwind. Within that flurry, you'll come across some genuine characters. In turn, they become a part of your story, enriching it with their own quirks and nuances. Vanna singer Davey Muise likes to think of those folks as The Few and the Far Between.
In addition to serving as the title for the group's fourth album and sophomore full-length for Artery Recordings/Razor & Tie, the phrase holds very a special significance for the vocalist.
"All of those people who have affected our lives on the road are The Few and the Far Between," he explains. "They make us who we are. We joke around that we wish we could compile all of them in one city and live there forever."
Instead of building a colony together, those denizens of the road served as a thematic inspiration for the Vanna's latest album. In the midst of 2012's marathon tour cycle, the band began laying down ideas for what would eventually become their next offering. Adding a mobile rig to their bus, the quintet—Muise, Joel Pastuszak [lead guitar, clean vocals], Nick Lambert [guitar], Shawn Marquis [bass], and Eric "Rabbit" Gross [drums]—tirelessly wrote and demoed while touring.
Coming back home to Boston in November, they retreated to a vacation house in sleepy Cape Cod Massachusetts to spend a week on pre-production in isolation.
"We got a bunch of groceries and locked ourselves away in this house," he recalls. "The beach was pretty much abandoned because everybody had left after summer. The album was born on the road, and we really fine-tuned everything during that one week."
Armed with an arsenal of songs, they recorded at Boston's Getaway Studios with producer Jay Maas, who helmed their first release for Artery Recordings, 2010's The Honest Hearts EP. In less than a month, The Few and the Far Between had come to life with claws out and teeth sharpened.
Fusing together bloodthirsty vocal delivery with succinct and striking riffing, Vanna temper post-hardcore intensity with a rock 'n' roll gallop, charging down their own lane. The first single, "Year of the Rat", volleys between Muise's lyrical reflection and volatile rhythms. It's the best way to meet The Few and the Far Between.
"That song is about feeling like you have no direction," he reveals. "I was really confused during my early twenties. As you get older, things start to make a little more sense. I'm 28 now. I got married last year, and things really came together for me. I feel like I know who I am, but it took years of being incomplete. There's an idea that people die every five years. This is about the year I died and was reborn. In 2012, I became a completely different person and changed for the better."
Heavy music is rarely this ponderous. Elsewhere, "A Thin Place" rails against religion with a pummeling groove and vitriolic lyrics like, "Hey God, it's me again. What have you done? Where the fuck have you been?"
Meanwhile, "Please Stay" ruminates on being away from home with a choir of voices including hometown friends Rachel Quarell and Adam Toomey. Former Scars of Tomorrow singer Mike Milford adds a bit of brutality to "The Dreamer/The Thief/The Relic" and Ethan Harrison of Great American Ghost lends his voice to "I Said I'm Fine".
Still, this is very much Vanna at their most unbridled and unrestrained. "It's definitely a throwback to what started this whole thing," Muise continues. "It's fast, heavy, and fun. It's the record I feel like we've been trying to write for years. If you're going to get into Vanna on any album, this is the one. We're five guys who believe in this wholeheartedly."
That "belief" has been evident since day one though. In 2011, they unleashed the concept-driven And They Came Baring Bones. The record debuted at #8 on the Billboard New Artist Chart and #22 on the Hard Music Chart. Critical praise poured in from the likes of Alternative Press and AbsolutePunk. To date, they've sold in excess of 60,000 albums and performed on Warped Tour and alongside the likes of Every Time I Die.
Ultimately, everyone is welcome to be a part of The Few and the Far Between. "We don't have fans," concludes Muise. "We have friends. We love what we do and want people to experience it with us. We're all struggling going through the same shit together. No one is truly alone."
Venue Information
Las Palmas Race Park
9809 N Taylor Road
Mission, TX 78573
http://www.laspalmasracepark.com/