Concert Reviews
BABYKLOK TOUR:UPMC Review


UPMC Events Center on the Robert Morris University campus was host to the Babyklok Tour 2023 featuring Dethklok, Baby Metal, and Jason Richardson on September 8th. A strange mix for a show, but oddly, it works. Pairing the guitar virtuoso stylings of Jason Richardson with the metal pop mix of Baby Metal and the cartoon chaos of Dethklok, this audience was in for a broad spectrum of what is metal for the night. This vast appreciation of metal could be seen in the crowd tonight, as there was a mass diversification of merchandise and costumes worn by the crowd, from anime to death metal band shirts and everything in between. It seemed like a lot of the elements of these genres were represented tonight.

Jason Richardson warmed the crowd up this evening, and with some backlights, a front platform at his disposal, and a guitar in hand, this crowd was in for something special. Richardson is a very accomplished and well esteemed guitarist in the scene, having worked with All Shall Perish, Born of Osiris, Chelsea Grin, All That Remains, and many other projects. I think a showcase of the performance was seeing the different variations of Jason’s signature Ernie Ball guitar as he would change guitars between songs. Some of the standouts were “Retrograde”, which had a backing track of Periphery’s Spencer Sotelo singing on the track, and also “Upside Down” which was co-written with the band Polyphia, before wrapping things up with “Ho’s Down”, a genre-blending amalgamation combining metal, jazz, and bluegrass.

Baby Metal took the stage next, engaging the crowd right off the bat with chants of B. A. B. Y. Metal! The front women of this band came out with high energy; from crowd work to choreographed dance moves, these women continued to smile ear to ear throughout the performance. Each song performance had vivid backdrops and lots of flashing lights to pair with the performance. There were times when there was so much going on that I didn’t know what to focus on first. The band was very tight and shined during their solo sections, holding down the rhythm for the night. Some of the standout performances were “Distortion,” featuring Alissa White Gluz of Arch Enemy and “Metali” which features Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine.

As the last band was getting set up, on the backdrop was a QR code for the latest Dethklok album, Dethalbum IV, so that attendees could listen to the album before the band would take the stage, something I have not seen before from a band. Closing the night out under the veil of darkness, Brendon Small and company took the stage to bring to life the audio stylings of “Nathan Explosion”, “Skwisgaar Skwigelf”, “Pickles”, “Toki Wartooth”, and “William Murderface to Life”. The crowd cheered as the Cartoon Network show was cast on the back screen and the band started off with the “Deththeme”. Dethklok played through several fan favorites, including “Murmaider” the “Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle”, and “Thunderhorse”, before closing out with “Bloodlines” and “Go Into the Water”.
If you are looking for a fun metal show to take in for the evening, make sure to check out the Babyklok tour 2023, which goes through October. This tour covers a wide array of metal and its subgenres, so there is a little something for everyone here.















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Concert Reviews
WEDNESDAY 13:THERES NO SUCH THINGS AS MONSTERS MARYLAND SHOW REVIEW


MURDER TO THE LEFT…MURDER TO THE RIGHT. HORRAY FOR WEDNESDAY 13, STITCHED UP HEART AND DEAD RABBITS





The Dead Rabbits opened up and started the show off with great music, awesome rabbit masks, and “Escape The Fate” singer Craig Mabbit’s birthday. This was my first time being able to see the band live, and they put on a great show. With songs like “Dead by Daylight,” “Dead Again,” and “Deer in the Headlights,” Dead Rabbits got the crowd pumped for a good time.







Stitched Up Heart was up next, and it had been a while since they played in Maryland. The band has always put on a hell of a show, and singer Mixi always brings such energy and fun to the shows as well. She’s always talking to fans and being genuinely an amazing person. When she’s on the stage, you can tell she’s in her element. The crowd was really getting into them, and the band even got to have a little mosh pit. With songs like “To the Wolves,” “Catch Me When I Fall,” and “Sick Sick Sick,” Stitched Up Heart always puts on a hell of a show and gets the crowd pumped.





The Duke of Spook. MR. MOTHERFUCKING13. WEDNESDAY 13 was up next, and the crowd was ready to be shocked and rocked. Playing a good mix of Muderdolls In the Valley of the MurderDolls and Wednesday 13’s first “solo” album, Transylvania 90210. You know when you go to a Wednesday 13 show you’re gonna hear some fun songs, you’re gonna hear some great songs, and you’re just gonna have fun. I was excited to hear a few songs that I haven’t gotten to hear in a while, like “Ghost of Vincent Price,” “Rambo,” and “God is a Lie.” We also got to hear a few songs off the new album that comes out on April 25th called “Mid Death Crisis,” songs like “When the Devil Commands,” “In Misery,” and “No Apologies.





With the new album coming out Wednesday, Wednesday 13 has a new addition to the band: guitarist Ashes (DevilDriver, Static X) has joined the WED13 camp. Which is awesome because not only is he a good friend, he’s a kick-ass guitarist and just an all-around badass and great guy. Wednesday and the band came out for an encore and gave us a few more songs to bang our heads to, like “Slit My Wrist” and “Love at First Fright,” and ended the night with “I Love to Say Fuck,” in which, during the end of the song, Wednesday broke his umbrella, looked at just the handle, laughed, and used it like he was leading an orchestra.





It was a great night of music and hanging out with great friends. We got to celebrate the lives of MurderDolls Joey Jordison and Ben Graves. And the show just happened to be on Paul Gray’s (Slipknot) birthday.
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Concert Reviews
Paleface Swiss Pittsburgh Show Review

A packed crowd gathered outside the Roxian Theater in Pittsburgh tonight for The Cursed Tour featuring Paleface Swiss, Stick to Your Guns, and Nasty. The crowd was lined up across the front of the venue and several blocks down the street, with all types ready to get out their weekly frustrations this Friday eve. Hardcore, deathcore, and beatdown will be the soundtrack to usher in the weekend for all in attendance tonight.
Nasty would kick off things; this band comes from Belgium and has a metalcore/beatdown sound to them. Nasty also released their latest EP on March 14th, called Black My Heart, which features a single with tourmates Paleface Swiss entitled ‘Talk.’ From the first note, Nasty cranked the energy to 11, heavy riffs and fast, heavy vocals coming right down the barrel. The pit was going hard and fast with bodies careening into each other for the whole set. The band was just as energetic, pacing the stage while performing and running across the stage; vocalist Mathias even jumped down into the crowd for a part of the set.
With the crowd now primed and firing, Stick to Your Guns took the stage next. This Californian hardcore outfit dropped an album in early 2025 entitled Keep Planting Flowers. Their high-energy set had this Pittsburgh crowd bouncing to every song. The pit kept turning as crowd surfers were starting to come over the barricade now. The band played through many of their hits, “Invisible Rain”, “Keep Planting Flowers”, and “Spineless”, before wrapping up.
Paleface Swiss took the stage in a fury of angst. As soon as the lights rose after Un Pobre Nino Murio finished, the venue was in chaos. Vocalist Marc Zelli Zellweger ripped right into “Hatred”, pacing the stage as the crowd whipped into a frenzy. The music was fast and heavy as security had their hands full with moshers, crowd surfers, and occasional injuries along the way. The band played through “Nail to the Tooth”, “The Gallow”, and “Rivers of Sorrow” before throwing the crowd into another gear with “Please End Me”. The pace was unrelenting as the band came back out for an encore, closing out with the single Love Burns.
If you are looking for a fast-paced, heavy show, mark off the calendar to see The Cursed Tour. These bands came to play their asses off, and you won’t be able to stand still the whole show.










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Concert Reviews
KIM DRACULA/Hanabie SilverSpring Maryland Show Review


AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN COLLIDE TO BRING THE USA SOME KICK ASS MUSIC AND FUN.
Kim Dracula, alongside Hanabie and Crystal Lake, came into the Filmore in Silver Spring, Maryland, and brought the right kind of entertainment that we so needed.
Crystal Lake put on a super intense and chaotic live show. With super insane riffs and brutal drums, Crystal Lake opened up the show perfectly, getting the crowd into a frenzy. This was my first time seeing the band, and they brought the fierceness of the metal genre with them.





Hanabie was next, and this was my second time getting to see them. I saw them last year when they toured with Jinjer. They are a perfect mix of metal, K-pop, and all-around fun. These girls not only know how to entertain and put on a show, they also play their instruments with perfection. Such a great blend of vocals from sweet and innocent playfulness to guttural growls. The crowd was loving them, and they have such a huge following in America, and I only see them getting even bigger.









Kim Dracula was the headliner, and this was my first time seeing the band. I’m kinda new to the whole Kim Dracula scene but have jumped on board right away with their mix of music and odd and weirdness they bring to the stage. I’m an old head, so for the younger generation, the closest I could say is that Kim Dracula reminds me of Mr. Bungle with a new generation twist. The show was fun, and damn, Kim is such a phenomenal persona. Not only is it amazingly entertaining, but what an amazing voice! Kim Dracula goes from metal screams to deep voice talking to crazy fast raps to singing high chops like Rob Halford. I was surprised to hear not one but two covers. Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow” and Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.”







Not only do you get this amazing music and musicians on stage, but then all of a sudden the song breaks out into a saxophone solo. WHAT?? So I encourage everyone to go see Kim Dracula when they tour in your area; you won’t be disappointed.









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