Michael Myers returns this October! Are you ready?
Month: June 2018
Gemini Syndrome Announce Summer Headlining Tour
Gemini Syndrome has announced the Summer Synner Conversion with Code Red Riot. Tickets are on sale now, along with a VIP Acoustic Experience.
Summer Conversion dates w/ Code Red Riot
† Festival date
†† w/ Stonesour
- July 08 // Oklahoma City, OK // The Diamond Ballroom
- July 11 // Joliet, IL // The Forge
- † July 12 // Oshkosh, WI // Rock USA
- July 13 // Sturgis, MI // Nikki’s
- July 14 // Flint, MI // The Machine Shop
- July 15 // Akron, OH // Empire Concert Club
- July 18 // Aftershock // Merriam, KS
- July 19 // Co. Springs, CO // Sunshine Studios Live
- July 20 // Denver, CO // Herman’s Hideaway
- July 22 // Mesa, AZ // Club Red
- †† Aug 25 // Council Bluffs, IA // WestFair Amphitheatre
* More dates TBD
Album Review: Tremonti’s A Dying Machine
Band: Tremonti
Album: A Dying Machine
Genre: Rock/Metal
Release Date: June 8, 2018
Standout Tracks: “Desolation,” “Traipse,” “A Dying Machine,” “Trust,” “The First The Last,” “As the Silence Becomes Me,” and “A Lot Like Sin”
◾◾◾
I have labeled half of the album as “standout,” if that is any indication of my love for Tremonti’s A Dying Machine. I had a pretty good idea from the moment the title track, which is the core of this rock opera, was released that I was going to adore this record, but nothing could have prepared me for the perfection that would soon be gracing my ears. A Dying Machine kicks off with the hard-hitting “Bringer of War” and carries the listener on an intriguing musical journey, concluding with the instrumental “Found.” In the middle is some of the best work I have heard from Tremonti.
While staying true to their metal influences with such songs as “From the Sky” and the blistering “The Day When Legions Burned,” Tremonti also takes a left turn into the unexpected (“Take You With Me”) and the emotional (“Desolation”). They have used everything in their creative arsenal to tell us this story.
A Dying Machine is the perfect lovechild of its predecessors, yet it surpasses all of them. With each album, the band — consisting of Mark Tremonti, Eric Friedman, and Garrett Whitlock — has evolved. Their musical prowess has reached new levels, enabling them to take chances that certainly have paid off. Mark has grown as a lyricist, and his vocals on this latest effort are magnificent. His performance on the title track from Dust, as well as “Unable to See,” heralded what was to come; however, he pushes himself further on A Dying Machine, using his voice to evoke emotion more than he ever has before.
I can’t praise Tremonti enough for their unwavering dedication to this new wave of metal, heavy and melodic, unafraid to include a softer, more vulnerable side, or to bring in elements that supposedly have no place in the genre (something Mark has been doing with Alter Bridge for years). These unique inclusions are what make Tremonti stand out. In fact, they make the band rise above many of its contemporaries.
Offering a breath of fresh air to the hard rock/metal scene, A Dying Machine is my pick for Album of the Year. I’m sure it’s no surprise that I rate this record 5/5 stars.
And keep your eyes open: there will be a book based on A Dying Machine.
Movie Review: Veronica
I want to start this review by explaining that I watch a lot of horror movies. A lot. I grew up on this genre, thanks to my parents, and my appreciation for it has continued — perhaps even strengthened — thanks to my best friend. Together, we’ve seen it all: supernatural, slasher, paranormal, low-budget, high-budget, cheesy, and everything in between.
So, with that in mind…
Tiffany, the best friend, informed me there was a movie on Netflix that was (supposedly) so scary people weren’t able to make it more than halfway through. My immediate reaction?
Challenge accepted!
The movie in question is called Veronica. It is a Spanish film, directed by Paco Plaza, and is based on a true story.
At the very beginning of Netflix’s description of Veronica, there is mention of a séance. I’m like:
Has any movie involving a séance ever ended well?
Without including spoilers, Veronica unfolds like this: Veronica and two other girls hold a séance at school during an eclipse. Veronica attempts to contact her father, but after a bit of activity, she passes out. Needless to say, she soon begins to suspect that something has followed her away from the experience, and she seeks a solution to the problem.
Here’s the thing — and I really hope you’re still with me…
Veronica is a good movie.
Yes, it’s been done before. And yes, many of these films are based on true stories. But Veronica is crafted in a way that holds the attention. The best friend and I were engrossed for the whole film.
There were creepy moments, some subtler than others. Did we have to turn it off halfway through? Nope.
The only con I see, and this depends on the person, is that the film is subtitled. For me, that wasn’t an issue; however, I know some don’t want to read their movies.
Overall, I would give Veronica a 4.5/5. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Playlist Challenge, Day 397
Murderdolls — “Death Valley Superstars”
Playlist Challenge, Day 396
Murderdolls — “Drug Me to Hell”
Playlist Challenge, Day 395
Murderdolls — “Die My Bride”
New Music (6/4 — 6/10)
Halcyon Way: “Blame”
Threefold Maze: “Hope”
Real Friends: “From the Outside”
WSTR: “Bad to the Bone”
Bullet For My Valentine: “Letting You Go”
Unborn Generation: “Ritual”
Cane Hill: “It Follows”
Thrice: “The Grey”
Vein: “Doomtech”
PIG: “The Chosen Few”
Framing Hanley: “Puzzle Pieces”
Daughtry: “Deep End”
Auditory Armory ft. Eric Mann: “The Light That Was Lost”
Dance Gavin Dance: “Count Bassy”
Against the Waves: “As Above So Below”
Seether: “Against the Wall” (Acoustic Version)
The Bridge City Sinners: “Ashes”
Christina Aguilera ft. GoldLink: “Like I Do”
Sleeping Giant: “Preachcore Lives!”
Crossfaith: “The Perfect Nightmare”
Cast the Stone: “As the Dead Lie”
Kataklysm: “The Resurrected” (Live Video)
Badflower: “Ghost”
Sleep Token: “Jaws”
Letters From the Fire: “Naked in the Rain”
Mike Shinoda: “Ghosts”
Johnathan East: “Too Much ‘Bama in Me”
The Veer Union: “City of the Sun”
Threefold Maze: “Lost My Way”
Chino Moreno: “Brief Exchange”
Monster Truck ft. Dee Snider: “True Rocker”
The Smashing Pumpkins: “Solara”
The Night Flight Orchestra: “Lovers in the Rain”
Evanescence ft. Lindsey Stirling: “Hi-Lo”
Madball: “Rev Up”
Aversions Crown: “The Breeding Process”
Beyond the Fade: “Welcome to the Pain”
Trope: “Lambs”
Betrayer: “Embodiment”
Avatar and Trivium to Tour North America in the Fall
Avatar announced today that they will be joining Trivium in the fall on their “The Sin and the Sentence World Tour.” Light the Torch will also be on the bill.
Full story here, via PlayItLoud Productions.
Dates:
- 10/3 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor
- 10/4 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theater
- 10/5 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
- 10/6 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva
- 10/8 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
- 10/9 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom
- 10/11 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live
- 10/12 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
- 10/13 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
- 10/14 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
- 10/16 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
- 10/17 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
- 10/19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
- 10/20 – Sauget, IL – Pop’s Nightclub
- 10/21 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
- 10/22 – St. Paul, MN – Myth Live
- 10/23 – Fargo, ND – Sanctuary
- 10/25 – Edmonton, AB – The Ranch Roadhouse
- 10/26 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theater
- 10/28 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
- 10/29 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO
- 10/30 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
- 10/31 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
- 11/2 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
- 11/3 – Berkeley, CA – UC Theatre
Tremonti Cover Metallica Acoustically — on Hello Kitty Guitars
I shouldn’t love this as much as I do. Mark Tremonti and Eric Friedman play “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” on a Hello Kitty guitar and ukulele, respectively.
Via Loudwire:
Mostly Music 