British power metal band DragonForce are touring North America this fall with special guests Amaranthe, Nanowar of Steel, and Edge of Paradise. Tickets and a limited number of VIP experiences are available at dragonforce.com.
10/20 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater*
10/21 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel*
10/23 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room & Garage
10/24 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
10/25 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
10/27 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
10/28 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
10/30 – Atlanta, GA – Heaven at The Masquerade
10/31 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
11/1 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
11/3 – New York, NY – Palladium Time Square
11/4 – Worcester, MA – Palladium
11/5 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
11/6 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
11/8 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater & Ballroom
11/9 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theatre
11/10 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
11/11 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
11/12 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
11/14 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
11/15 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
11/16 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House
Update:The show on 11/14 has been moved from Racine, WI, to Belvedere, IL, at the Apollo Theatre!
Horror punk band Murderdolls’ debut album, Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls, turns 21 this year! In celebration of this anniversary, frontman Wednesday 13 is hitting the road to perform songs from their first record, as well as their second and final release, Women and Children Last (2010). Wednesday’s touring lineup for this run includes Murderdolls’ alumni Roman Surman and Jack Tankersley.
The supporting acts are Gemini Syndrome, Infected Rain, and Black Satellite.
Welsh metal band Bullet For My Valentine is coming to North America for a handful of dates this October-November. With them will be Of Mice & Men and Vended. You can get tickets at bulletformyvalentine.com, and Of Mice & Men are offering VIP packages at ofmiceandmenofficial.com!
10/8 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
10/9 – Quebec, QC – Le Capitole
10/10 – Worcester, MA – Palladium
10/12 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
10/13 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
10/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
10/17 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
10/18 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater & Ballroom
10/19 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
10/21 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
10/22 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
10/24 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis
10/26 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
10/28 – Flagstaff, AZ – Pepsi Amphitheater
10/29 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
10/31 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
11/1 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
11/2 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel Entertainment Center
11/4 – San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port
Music cruises are all the rage these days, with Shiprocked being the most talked about. None of the current cruises focuses solely on metal, hence Lamb of God bringing us Headbangers Boat!
Lamb of God will be playing two sets, including Ashes of the Wake in its entirety. Mastodon, Hatebreed, Testament, Gwar, and others will also be in attendance on this cruise, which sets sail on Halloween from Miami, Florida. For all the details, visit headbangersboat.com.
Breathing Theory is a band that toes the line between heavy and melodic with an unrivaled precision (think Starset meets Gemini Syndrome meets Breaking Benjamin), and they have proven this yet again with the release of their new album. Artificial hit all streaming services on May 26th. The album is made up of ten songs that run the gamut from provoking thought to tugging the heartstrings, and all are unforgiving in their extremes.
Artificial opens with the electro-metal-symphonic “Replicas,” an introduction to the theme set by the album’s title: a dystopian future run by artificial intelligence. The very first song begs the questions “Can we define what it is that makes us human? Are we alive, or are we just replicas?”
“Replicas” is succeeded by “Beautiful Disaster,” which showcases Breathing Theory’s hard-hitting riffs paired with heartfelt lyrics and frontman Cory Britt’s strong singing voice. The band sends listeners into audio whiplash by diving straight into the relentless “Collapse.” Here is a prime example of Cory’s harsh growls and screams, echoing the anger and frustration of the lyrics – “They’re starting fires so the smoke and hate won’t clear/Misdirection keeps you trapped in fear” – and juxtaposed by the pure cleans of the chorus.
The next track – “Your Frequency” – is another switch, not exactly a ballad but certainly on the more melodic end of things. This is one of my favorites on the record. The words are gorgeous, and I have the utmost respect for Breathing Theory’s refusal to shy away from that side of their genre.
“The Cure” is crafted into solid verses and an extremely catchy chorus. It is followed by “Transcend,” the heaviest song on the album, and “My Cancer,” the softest. “Tethers” feels like something you would hear on the radio (in the best possible way). It makes the head bob and is easily imaginable as one of the sing-along moments during a Breathing Theory show.
And then, the band drops in their rendition of Journey’s “Separate Ways.” I’ll admit, I didn’t see that one coming, but I cannot stress enough how much it absolutely works! Breathing Theory manages to maintain the integrity of the original while also making it their own, a truly impressive feat.
Artificial wraps with “Blackout,” and I am going to call this a ballad. Slow and steady, with sad lyrics, Cory’s haunting vocals, and a moody guitar solo (can guitar solos be moody?), I think it fits the bill.
There is not a single track on this record that I don’t like. A mix of alternative rock and metal with a metalcore edge and a trace of the grunge element, Breathing Theory definitely knows how to keep listeners intrigued and on their toes. Give Artificial a listen, or several, and follow Breathing Theory on their socials to see what’s next!
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