Concert Reviews

Trivium: Pittsburgh Show review

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2023

It’s May, and for any music lover, that is a sight for sore eyes. That means we have officially entered the season for all the best concerts. For me, kicking off my concert season with a Trivium and Beartooth co-headlining tour last week was certainly a treat. A night of energy, amazing stage performance, and an audience that could bring the entirety of Stage AE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, crashing to the ground. It certainly was an amazing way to start the season on a high note.

Kicking off the show, you had Archetypes Collide, a metalcore band from Gilbert, Arizona. The band is slowly making a name for themselves in the metal music world, first being featured on Sirius FM’s Octane Test Drive with their track “Your Misery” and now with their latest self-titled album release and rising chart song “Parasite”. While keeping the crowd already at a high energy level, they also included a tribute to one of the greats, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, by performing a cover of “One Step Closer”. This band is certainly going places, and one day I hope to hear their name as the headliner.

Moving on to the next band, you normally have to cross the pond to hear Malevolence, a heavy metal band from South Yorkshire. This band formed in 2010, and since then has released three studio albums and have managed to develop their own independent record label, MLVLTD Music. They were most definitely a fun mix-up for this awesome lineup and a great lead-in to our first half of the co-headliner duo, Beartooth.

I haven’t seen such a high-energy performance for a decent amount of time, and that was until Beartooth took the stage at AE. Opening up their set with “Devastation”, the band came in swinging after an anticipation lead-up of Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” , and the energy never stopped. Playing popular songs like “Disease”, “Riptide”, “In Between”, and their latest release, “Sunshine!”. Along with so many more, the band kept the crowd going from start to finish. To close out their set, the band played “The Last Riff” in which the band’s frontman, Caleb Shomo, parted the crowd like the Red Sea and walked to the back of the house to play from the soundboard. It certainly was a really cool exit and an excellent lead-up to our final band of the evening, Trivium.

Being around since 2003, Trivium certainly has a wide discography to choose from when creating a show-worthy setlist. With the release of their latest album in 2021, In the Court of the Dragon, the band must’ve definitely played off of that title with the set-up of their stage presence, with a Tibetan temple vibe. They had dragon statues on either side of the stage and a big built-up level for drummer Alex Bent. They also made sure to perform several songs from their more popular 2005 album, Ascendancy, including their closer, “Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr”. Which certainly sent the audience out on a high note after a great evening.

About Author

Shelby Tyce

See author's posts

Concert Reviews

NEVER EARLY FESTIVAL BALTIMORE MD SHOW REVIEW

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

Ron

Never Early Fest in downtown Baltimore at Power Plant Live was a great experience and fun event that was held on May 31st. Having 5 stages, the main stage in power plant live , one stage at the old tin roof, one stage at angels rock bar, another stage at PBF and one at the Beer Garden.

Never Early Fest had a good mix of all types of genres. If you’re into punk rock, ska, metal core, rock, acoustic sets and everything in between, this was the place to be in Baltimore.

Some of the highlights were the headliners Deep Blue Something and Sumo Cyco( both of which I got to interview. Check out Below)

Sponge was great, along with Bikini Trill and The PieTasters on the main stage.

At Nutter Stage (Tin Roof) I really enjoyed The Upside, Skitzo Calypso, Tristan Tritt and Emily Wolfe.

Empire Tattoo Stage (PBR) highlights were When the Sun Sets, Act109 and Keep Flying. Punk Rock Saves Lives stage (Beer Garden) I enjoyed Distance to Dawn with an acoustic set, and LoveBoxx.

Dark Stage (Angels rock back) was probably my favorite stage only because it had the most metal/rock bands that I enjoyed. With Allswell, Lives Lost, Devil in Disguise, Awake at Last , A skylit drive and Sumo Cyco all killing it on that stage.

Overall I thought the fest was fun. We had a little rain that went by quick then some nice sunny weather with occasional crazy winds. The band were all great, the food and food trucks were great. The fans from all walks of life were enjoying the diversity of the music.

Huge shout to Nic Rappolla and His Team for putting on a great event.

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.

See author's posts

Concert Reviews

JET 930Club DC Show Review

Published

2 weeks ago

June 5, 2025

Marley Hein

Last night, the 9:30 Club got a full-force blast of rock ‘n’ roll straight from the Gold Coast — JET touched down in D.C., and they did not come to play. They came to remind us why they dominated the early 2000s and why rock will never die as long as they’re around.

You know the hits: “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” “Cold Hard Bitch,” and “Look What You’ve Done.” But hearing them live? It’s a whole different beast. JET brought every ounce of raw power and swagger they’re known for, and the crowd was right there with them — screaming every lyric, fists in the air, living for that gritty garage-rock goodness.

Opening the night was U.K. trio Band of Skulls, and they didn’t hold back either. With tracks like “Death by Diamonds and Pearls,” they delivered a moody, grungy set that set the tone perfectly — dark, loud, and ready to erupt.

And let’s be real: JET flying all the way from Australia to give us this show? That’s commitment. These guys don’t tour the States often, so when they do, it’s a big deal — and they made sure this night was unforgettable. The guitar riffs were sharp, the vocals hit just right, and the energy? Off the charts.

If you weren’t there, you seriously missed out. And if you were there… you might’ve spotted me in full glitter mode, rocking my mermaid sequin pants and repping Empire Extreme loud and proud. Not to flex too hard, but I even got a shout-out from JET’s lead singer mid-show. Iconic behavior all around

About Author

Marley Hein

See author's posts

Concert Reviews

Ministry brings the squirrelly years to Baltimore Soundstage

Published

1 month ago

May 16, 2025

Ron

Ministry on tour now with Die Krupps and Nitzer EBB stopped into Baltimore to bring us the early years of Ministry.

German industrial band Die Krupps opened up the show and got the crowd pumped and ready. With a good mix of synth , guitars and booming bass, Die Krupps was a great opener. With songs like Metal Machine Music, Robo Sapien, and Bloodsuckers.

Nitzer EBB was up next. Armed with just vocalist Bon Harris and his keyboardist , Nitzer EBB set was full of energy and life, Bon was all over the stage dancing and just living his best life. With songs like Blood Money, Hearts and Minds, and Join in the Chant, Nitzer got the goth crowd up and moving.

Ministry was up next and it was gonna be a fun and weird night. I’ve seen Ministry many times but this would be the first time I’ve seen them without them playing either Thieves or NWO. That’s because we got blasted back into the in 1983 and 1986 with albums “With Sympathy” and “Twitch”.

The band sounded and looked amazing with AL supporting a disco fever fuzzy hat and glasses. Now like I’ve said I’ve seen Ministry many times and they have been heavy as all hell, but apparently the old school set with much bass in it was too much for Soundstages speakers as the band blew them out many times during the set.

The fans didn’t care they stuck in full force and watched one of the most fun Ministry shows. It was great to hear all the old songs with a little bit of a modern twist to them. If you get to go and see this tour I encourage you to do so.