Concert Reviews

Mudvayne The Psychotherapy Sessions tour

Published

3 years ago

August 13, 2023

Mudvayne made their way through Pittsburgh with a stop at The Amphitheater at Star Lake as part of The Psychotherapy Sessions tour with four other bands who chose not to let media outlets cover them without individual clearance, which is an extreme rarity in the business when you are covering the tour.

The first opening band, which is fronted by two female vocalists, played their set to what could not have been more than a hundred people in a pavilion that has a capacity of near 22,000 people. Much of the same scenario played out for the second support act.

The venue was upgrading every person who had a lawn ticket to seats under the pavilion. They had people stationed around handing out the tickets, and the employees at the gates were telling everyone to go get their free upgrades at certain tables. The word was that they were handing out free tickets a few nights before at the Pantera and Lamb of God show.

The third opener finally had a sizable crowd, as they are typically a club and mid-size venue band, but their brand of blood and gore fell flat in the large space and the daylight. Though they sounded better than I have heard them sound, the energy was lost in the distance from the crowd.

Mudvayne Chad Gray By Josh Drespling For Empire Extreme

Up next was the “co-headliner”. They sounded decent with their revamped line-up, and the songs brought back some nostalgia for that late 90s nu-metal sound. The lead vocalist seemed like a “Fiend” with an “I O U Nothing” attitude. “Something Told Me” the entire band was “Loco”, and probably “Drove” a “Big Truck”. Nothing is going to “Sway” me, as I know these are “Dark Days” for the industry, and perhaps it’s just “Another Nail in The Coffin.”

Finally, the headliner, Mudvayne, took to the stage and sounded amazing. There has been some trepidation and clamoring that vocalist Chad Grey was not performing well live. I’m here to say that Chad and the rest of the band were on point, sounded tight, and were well rehearsed. I don’t know if they were out of sync at the onset of the tour, but tonight in Pittsburgh, they were on top of their game. They opened their set with the hit “Not Falling”. They followed up with “Under My Skin,” which is a off-the-beaten-path song from their L.D. 50 release from over 20 years ago. They also performed “Internal Primates Forever,” also from the L.D. 50 release, as part of the six tracks from that album.

The band changed direction with another hit track “World So Cold”. Following in order were “A New Game”, “Severed”, “Death Blooms”, and “Fish Out of Water”. Chad screamed, “All work and no play makes me a dull boy, as the band tore into the track “Dull Boy” from the 2008 album The New Game.

“Determined” and “Nothing to Gein” preceded an energetic encore of the definitive “Dig” and crowd favorite “Happy?”.

Overall, a great performance and a selection of songs that spanned their entire discography. Here’s to hoping there is a new release in their future, and you should get out to this show; it was super entertaining. Who knows? You may just get upgraded to the front row.

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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Concert Reviews

DARK WINTER TOUR:BALTIMORE SHOW REVIEW

Published

1 month ago

January 26, 2026

Ron

LORD OF THE LOST AND WEDNESDAY 13 CAME INTO BALTIMORE MARYLAND OR AS LORD OF THE LOST SINGER CHRIS HARMS CALLED IT BALTIMOST..

WEDNESDAY 13 opened and had a killer set. It’s tough when you have such a great spanning career to choose which songs to play, but Wednesday nailed it. From new to old, the band played a ton of great songs and got the crowd hyped and ready for a night of kick-ass music. When between band breaks,outside, I was outside and a guy who has never seen Wednesday 13 before was like “I’ve never seen an opening band, with so much energy and having the crowd pumped up like that before”. We got to see Wednesday throw out some plastic spiders from a Halloween pail,say… and this time his umbrella didn’t break when he performed “I Love to Say..Fuck”.

Lord of the Lost came to Baltimore last year and was super amazing and such a great show that I was excited to see them again. They did have a member of the band missing; their bassist was taking time away from the band to focus on his own mental health, which I applaud because in a world of music and entertainment we lose too many people who are afraid or ashamed to work on their mental health. This was the first day of the tour, and not knowing what song was gonna be played was kinda thrilling, but I knew that at one point that Wednesday 13 would come back on stage and play “I Hate People” which is the latest single from Lord of the Lost. The band sounded amazing, and I loved their cover of “She’s Got the Look.”

Overall this was a great day for music and such a great show. Go out and check it when they come to your city and just enjoy seeing live music.

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

Let’s go back to 2000’s Ozzfest with Darkest Hour, Bleeding Through and God Forbid.

Published

3 months ago

December 19, 2025

Ron

DC’s Hometown Hero’s Darkest Hour came to the Filmore in silver spring Maryland to celebrate 30 years and not only did they kick some ass the made us go back in time to a killer lineup of bands.

God Forbid celebrating the anniversary of “Constitution of Treason” opened up the show and got the crowd rowdy. It’s been years since I’ve seen God Forbid but I remember all those tours and ozzfests when they played and always kicked so much ass. The band still sounds great and singer Byron Davis still looks and sounds amazing. We got to hear songs like “The End of the world” “The lonely dead” and “under this flag”.

Bleeding Through was next up and they were celebrating the anniversary of “The Truth” and throwing a few extra songs from previous albums and new material. Brandan still puts on a hell of a show and always finds a way to hurt himself at shows I’ve seen him perform. In Pittsburgh years ago he stepped on a water bottle and fucked up his ankle and 2 seconds into this show he almost fell straight off the stage. But that didn’t stop him from getting off the stage jumping in the crowd and killing such a great set. Then you add bad ass keyboardist Marta to the mix and this is why I’ve always loved this band. We got to hear songs like “Love in slow motion” , “Line in the sand” and “Love lost in a hail of gunfire “ the crowd went crazy.

It’s been years since I’ve seen Darkest Hour too, I always remember those tours and seeing them with so many kick ass bands, it’s crazy to think they they have been together for 30 years and still bring it to the stage. I loved the energy and fun the band has on stage, loved the intro from a guy in a tux and also loved that the fans were engaged the whole set. I got to hear some great tunes like “The Sadist Nation”, “ Sound the surrender” and “Knife in a safe room”.

This small 3 date tour was great and put me back into the days when I was younger and listened to some great metal.

About Author

Ron

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Concert Reviews

All Time Low: EVERYBODYS TALKING TOUR

Published

3 months ago

November 30, 2025

Kylie Thomas

The appropriately named “Everybody’s Talking” tour from All Time Low featuring Mayday Parade, Four Year Strong, and The Paradox was one of true pop-punk nostalgia. The stop over at UPMC Events Center on November 19 was a must for any fan of the year 2005. Being able to see some of the top names in this genre all with a room full of old-school emo kids is a blessing on its own.

Opening the show first was newer band The Paradox, a mix of core pop-punk anger and modern hip hop nuances. Think heavy riffs over more melodic vocals that float over top.

Four Year Strong, a band more on the hardcore side, follows this up with a pit for the ages. It’s a time for moshing to begin as the members take the audience through years of heavy breakdowns. These guys are a throwback for the ones who always went to Warped Tour.

The third opener, Mayday Parade has the power to pull together an entire crowd just by playing their hits “Jersey” and “Jamie All Over.” This band has been around the scene for a long time and there’s no doubt you’ve heard a song or two of theirs on the radio. Their energy is infectious from singer Derek Sanders to guitarist Brooks Betts and all the rest, too.

At the end of the day though, it’s obvious this crowd is here to see all eras of All Time Low come to life. After 22 years together, there are many layers to this band but their set manages to hit on them all. Whether you’re there for the songs from the beginning years like “Time-Bomb” or brand new ones like “SUCKERPUNCH,” you’re bound to hear something you like. One of the best parts of an All Time Low concert though is the party vibe. Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat, Zack Merrick, and Rian Dawson all carry an energy that’s similar to walking down Fremont Street in Vegas. It’s all flashy lights, big personalities, and good times. But, don’t be led astray, there are tender moments as well. It all creates a story of love and heartbreak alongside the highs and lows of life.

The “Everybody’s Talking” tour from All Time Low is one that chronicles their history. It’s a show that reminds audiences of their place in pop-punk and a chance for these audience to disappear back to high school again when all that mattered was eyeliner, CDs, and hair dye.