Concert Reviews

DEADMEN AND DRAGONS TOUR

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2022

The House of Blues Cleveland was host to the Deadmen and Dragons tour with Trivium, Between the Buried and Me, Whitechapel, and Khemmis. The crowd packed into the venue for a wide arrangement of metal this night, everything from metalcore, to progressive metal, deathcore and even doom metal on the docket.

Colorado natives Khemmis took the stage first, their blend of doom/sludge metal got the crowd going from their first riffs. Khemmis has been making their way through the area for quite some time and it was nice to see the Cleveland crowd engaging with vocalist, Phil Pendergast. The band’s set was very energetic with twin guitar solos from Phil and Ben Hutcherson.

Whitechapel took the stage next playing a more condensed set than what I have seen them play in the past years. Kicking things off with I Will Find You and moving right into Anticure. The band also fit in crowd favorite This is Exile getting the pit to open up, before finishing out with Doom Woods. It was a good blend of modern Whitechapel with a little of the old remnants thrown in. I do like hearing the clean lines of Bozeman throughout the set especially on Orphan.

Between the Buried and Me kicked things off with Son of Nothing from the Colors album. A crowd favorite, the pit started going right off matching the energy of the band. Vocalist Tommy Rogers paced the stage, almost stalking as he ripped through Revolution in Limbo. Ever the masters of their craft, the band performed every song near perfect, while scaling through several genres of music. As the bands songs are a cornucopia of different musical styles not only metal, but salsa, easy listening, jazz, blues, and mid eastern influences were all touched on during their set.

Before Trivium took the stage they were greeted by a sing along to Run to the Hills from the crowd singing along to the Iron Maiden tune. The curtain drops from the front of the stage, dragon statues and fog were the stage setting for Trivium as they took the stage. High energy from the moment they come out Matt Heafy and Co were all about the entertainment for the night. Blistering solos, crowd sing alongs, and the band working the crowd from every angle of the stage. It was like a carnival going off and not knowing where to look next. Trivium’s set was a full out assault with What the Dead Men Say really kicking off the pace then diving into Amongst the Shadows & the Stones. The crowd was right there with every song feeding from the band’s energy.

If you are looking for a show that covers just about every inch of every musical genre this is the tour to check out. High energy packed from the first band to the last. The entertainment value has been turned up past 11. Be sure to check out the Deadmenand Dragons tour with Trivium, Between the Buried and Me, Whitechapel and Khemmis you will not be disappointed.

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George Archibald

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Concert Reviews

MARTY FRIEDMAN LIVE DRAMA TOUR 2025: RAMSHEAD ON THE STAGE

Published

2 weeks ago

February 10, 2025

Ron

Marty Friedman is on tour right now with his Live Drama 2025 and he brought Patrick Kennison and Nikki Stringfield on tour with them.

Nikki and Patrick opened up the show with an amazing acoustic set, I’ve got to see both of them many times with their other bands but this was the first time seeing them perform together and it was magical. I loved the way they not only complemented each other vocally with harmonies and more but just the feeling of love on the stage as well. We got to hear some great songs like “Where Demons Lie” and “Numbered” which is about addiction issues and dedicated to Layne Staley. We also got to hear an Iron Maiden cover “Aces High”.

Marty and his band came out on stage and if you’re into high energy and some mind blowing shreds, this is a tour for you. I love that Marty’s band is backed by some amazing Japanese musicians and probably one of my favorite drummers Chargeee, (he’s Insane while playing the drums: he’s like the live action version of Animal from the muppets)

I loved that Marty is from the area and was talking to his band mates about it and the laurel area. There was one time when Marty’s guitar player Naoki played the lead that Marty was supposed to play then they had an argument all in Japanese (the one time I wish subtitles was a real thing) the other band mates gave him the finger then Marty started to shred.

I just the energy that’s on the stage it doesn’t stop and it’s so infectious. The crowd at rams head on the stage were in full capacity for the show and ready to rock and roll with Marty.

We got to hear some of the softer more romantic side of Marty and the band when they played a few songs off the “Drama” album which was fun as well.

It’s insane to watch someone like Marty shred in a small intimate venue, you really get to see how amazing he really is and the passion he has for his craft.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Concert Reviews

APOCALYPTICA PLAYS METALLICA VOL 2: DC SHOW REVIEW

Published

2 weeks ago

February 9, 2025

Ron

Apocalyptica is on tour now with Nita Strauss on their PLAYS METALLICA VOL 2.

Nita opened the show and as always put on an amazing show, it’s fun to see Nita on these solo tour when she’s not touring with Alice Cooper. You get to see her shine even more and just put a clinic on with shredding on the guitar. I’ve seen Nita a few times but this night was a little extra special, she brought out Kasey Karlsen of the band Deadlands out to sing a few songs which was great cause normally there’s no vocals at her shows.

This was my first time being able to not only see Apocalyptica but also photograph them. I’ve always been a huge fan of their music and loved the 2 Metallica albums as well. I figured this was more than likely the only way I’ll get to hear Metallica play is with Apocalyptica playing them.

We got to hear an amazing mix of songs throughout Metallica’s career. Opening up with “Ride the Lightning” and “Enter Sandman” you knew you were gonna rock out.

The band is amazing, such awesome and jaw dropping skills on those Cellos. There’s something magical about musicians that come from Helsinki and the Finland area. Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lotjonen and Perttu Kivilaakso are insanely talented but also demand the stage so well and bring in that comedy as well.

We also got to hear songs like “Creeping Death”, “The Call of Ktulu” “St Anger”, “Blackened” “Master of Puppets”, “Nothing else Matters” and ending the night with “Seek and Destroy” and “One”. This was such a great night in a cool setting at Warner Theater in DC. I loved the atmosphere and the blending of not only music with classical and metal but also the crowd was as diverse as well.

If you get a chance to go out and see this tour, you must you won’t be disappointed.

About Author

Ron

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Concert Reviews

NIGHTMARE AFTER XMAS 9

Published

3 weeks ago

January 31, 2025

Ron

ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN WHEN THE POWERS TO BE GATHER FOR THE MOST BAD ASS OF TIME. YES ITS THAT TIME FOR ANOTHER NIGHTMARE AFTER XMAS.

OF COURSE YOU HAVE SPELLBOOK AND WRATH OF TYPHON ON THE BILL, AND HEADLINING PRINCE DIAMOND (This year doing an all Mercyful Fate set) WE ALSO GOT SABBATH WARLOCK AND ZAUBEREI AS WELL.