Last year, Florida based hardcore band A Day To Remember continued their upward career trajectory with a major tour that brought them to a sold out Royal Oak Theater. Well, given the success of their latest album, [...]]]>

Jeremy MacKinnon and company play two sold out shows in Royal Oak this week.

Last year, Florida based hardcore band A Day To Remember continued their upward career trajectory with a major tour that brought them to a sold out Royal Oak Theater. Well, given the success of their latest album, “What Seperates Me From You”, which came out back in November and is now hitting another big tour this spring with English metalcore stars Bring Me The Horizon.

With “What Seperates” out back in November, it was the closest album the band has had to hitting the Top 10 of the Billboard Album Charts when the album hit #11 in it’s opening week. Led by the heavy as hell but melodic cuts “All I Want” and “Sticks and Bricks”, the material on the new album might have had some fans crying “sellout”, but at the core- it is solid material from the band. At times, the sound might have been a bit more streamlined, but there’s still plenty of hardcore sounding moments to keep the diehards mostly happy.

Along with Bring Me The Horizon, who had a Top 20 debut with their latest album that was released in October, the tour also features a few other up and comers in the alt-rock world. San Diego’s Pierce The Veil and the local We Came As Romans will open up the two night stand in Royal Oak.

The tour is moving through the Midwest now and will end in Atlanta in mid-April. Unlike last year’s one night sold out show, this year brings two sold out shows to the Royal Oak Theater. So, make sure to check out A Day To Remember, if you can score a ticket somehow- because we’re pretty sure this is the last time you’ll see this band in a small club.

A Day To Remember plays Tuesday (March 22^nd) and Wednesday (March 23^rd) at the Royal Oak Theater. Tickets are Sold Out, but some may become available at www.tickets.com closer to the date. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.adtrofficial.com.

Ok, I couldn’t fit the entire title of “There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret” into the header, so I shortened it up to make it [...]]]>

No matter how you feel about metalcore, BMTH has tried something different for the genre.

Ok, I couldn’t fit the entire title of “There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret” into the header, so I shortened it up to make it cleaner. But believe me when I think there is nothing clean and typical about the delivery of the sophomore album from the English metalcore upstarts. As it gets tougher to differentiate the bands in the metalcore genre and it descends into a screaming and riff contest, there are a few bands that are striking out towards something different.

Bring Me The Horizon had a few memorable cuts off their debut, “Suicide Season”, but you can tell the band is really going for broke with their second album. Starting with the metalcore epic “Crucify Me” (yes, there can actually be an epic metalcore song), the band has upped production values and have added a bit more orchestral material to the album, which might even give it it’s bite. The first single “It Never Ends” sounds far different than the sometimes monotonous tracks off their debut. Lead screamer Oli Sykes proves that there is some range in his vocals on this track, but metalcore faithful can be happy that he didn’t totally switch gears with the new songs- especially when hearing the track “F—“.

But even though Sykes proves in some cases that he is maturing as a singer, his sometime hoarse voice almost ruins a couple of songs- namely “Don’t Go” and “Blessed With A Curse”, with the latter where the serene moments are drowned out by the vocals. But you can tell that the band as a whole is coming together and the songs sound much tighter than before.

In a time when many metalcore bands are struggling to wiggle their way out of the pack of nameless bands, Bring Me The Horizon swings for the fences and succeeds for the most part, but I think it will be a while before the band has their Avenged Sevenfold-esque pilgrimage into the mainstream.

(Let’s say 3.5 stars out of 5.)

Go see Bring Me The Horizon live on Wednesday, October 13th at the Crofoot Ballroom. Tickets are $13 and are available at www.ticketweb.com.

Well, the 16th annual Vans Warped Tour is in the books, and the sun stayed away in the second half of the day- sparing many fans worse sunburns than they already had. This year’s Warped brought an intriguing blend of bands [...]]]>

Warped brought the noise to the masses once more to Comerica Park.

Well, the 16^th annual Vans Warped Tour is in the books, and the sun stayed away in the second half of the day- sparing many fans worse sunburns than they already had. This year’s Warped brought an intriguing blend of bands that skewered every where from Top 40 hip-hop to death metal, making it one of the most diverse lineups in the tour’s history.

The crowd at Comerica Park looked a bit smaller than in past years, so I am not sure if the economy has finally caught up to Warped Tour, or perhaps people weren’t as enthralled with the lineup as in past years. For whatever reason it was, fans still dug their favorite bands and probably found a few new ones that will rock their world in years to come.

This year’s Warped Tour felt like a 8 hour session of ADD, as I bounced from set to set and getting a taste of a lot of bands (that’s probably due more to the schedule of the day versus real ADD). So, after checking out the bands- here’s the awards I’m giving out at the Detroit stop on the Warped Tour:

Best Way to Start The Day Award: If you weren’t rattled out of your slumber by the 11:55 am start time of Bring Me The Horizon, then you just should have stayed out of bed. The British band played to one of the larger audiences of the day as they wailed their way through cuts from “Suicide Season” and new tracks from their upcoming release, due in October.

Best New Soundalike: We’ve already had Rome Ramirez come in and do an admirable job with Sublime this summer, and at Warped Tour- Zoli Teglas stepped in and nailed the vocals during Pennywise’s set. One of the cornerstones of Warped, Pennywise made a bold move as their first major tour with the new lead singer was for Warped. “Bro Hymn” sounded as good as it always has.

Most Shamelessly Entertaining Set: Andrew W.K.’s half hour set had one theme and one theme only in his set: Party. The white tshirt clad man spent his set kicking, screaming and motivating the crowd to make the most of the day. Plus, handing out free stuff during just about every song had the crowd liking him. For the set closer, the signature “Party Hard”, Oompa Loompas (you know from “Willy Wonka”) were on stage dancing along, and giving everyone a good chuckle.

Glad You Showed Up Award: After sets later in the day that could have been better, Suicide Silence’s 7pm-ish set was the way to help bring home the day. Starting with the furious “Wake Up”, the California deathcore band ignited what was becoming a sleepy crowd and didn’t relent during their set. I’ve never been the biggest fan of the band, but on this night- it was exactly what was needed.

Most Disappointed to Miss: Sorry to the guys in Parkway Drive, but there were too many bands bunched into a mid-afternoon slot to make it over there in time. Perhaps another time… Yeah, Sum 41 as well. There was too much jammed into the last part of the night as well.

Biggest Crowds of the Day: Just as a spot check, most likely this crown will be a tie between hometown rapper Mike Posner and Nevershoutnever. Posner’s brand of hip-hop is nothing new and seemed bland, but I guess I was in the minority. Either way, the guy still had people waiting to meet him at his booth 2 hours after he was done. Nevershoutnever….well, I just don’t get it. Guess I’m getting old….

Most Destructive Set: Dillinger Escape Plan. See, I almost made it through this without talking about them- but too bad. Their set was as spastic and vicious as ever, with the band’s equipment being smashed up and the band jumping on their equipment any chance they got- it showed a little danger in a day that was mostly tame.

That’s my rundown of Warped Tour. Check out interviews in the coming days that I did with Iwrestledabearonce and Eyes Set To Kill. If you want more Warped info, check out www.warpedtour.com.

Forget OzzFest, forget any other major traveling festival- because the Vans Warped Tour is rolling into its 16th year and is now becoming a cross-generational event for rock fans young and old (but mostly young). The 2010 edition brings an entertaining mix [...]]]>

The Warped Tour takes over Comerica Park's parking lots this Friday.

Forget OzzFest, forget any other major traveling festival- because the Vans Warped Tour is rolling into its 16^th year and is now becoming a cross-generational event for rock fans young and old (but mostly young). The 2010 edition brings an entertaining mix of emo, old school punk and metal bands for what will most likely be a scorching day on the blacktop of the parking lots around Comerica Park.
But instead of discussing every band on the bill, here are a few intriguing prospects to check out this year at the Vans Warped Tour 2010:

Andrew W.K: If there’s one thing we can say about Andrew Wilkes-Krier- its that he likes to diversify. He finally released his long shelved album earlier this year, as well as a EP of new age piano numbers called “Cadillac 55” late last year. With hosting the Revolver Golden Gods Awards and running a nightclub- does Andrew have time to tour? I am sure he’ll be just fine.

Bring Me The Horizon: The best thing about the final Taste of Chaos tour in 2009, the great Brit hope for metal is gearing up to release their next album, out this fall. But for now, get sweaty and crazy to their debut, “Suicide Season”.

Every Time I Die: Hey guys, Detroit misses you…don’t be such a stranger to this town next time you release an album.

Mike Posner: This guy’s got a song on MTV Hits called “Cooler Than Me”- sounds like it ought to be on” Jersey Shore”.  This year’s Warped tour equivalent to Katy Perry, who played the festival in 2008. Even though he was born right here in Southfield, he’s a graduate from Duke- not exactly the hotbed of hip-hop activity.

Iwrestledabearonce: All the rage with the 15 year old metal crowd right now. The band themselves is quite talented, but needs to find a way to find cohesive songs next time around.

Pennywise & Reel Big Fish: Ok, this isn’t a double act- but this will be the extent of the “heritage” bands on Warped Tour this year and for older fans to recall seeing these bands played Warped back in the Phoenix Plaza days (ok, I’m included it that group). Pennywise has a brand new singer, and hopefully- the band doesn’t miss a beat.

Versaemerge: The band played the small Ernie Ball stage last year, and seemed to command a bigger than expected audience. This could be a breakout band in the next year and playing the main stage come Warped 2011.

The Dillinger Escape Plan: Just go see them, they’re all over the map, they’re awesome.

Over 70 bands hit the stages at Warped Tour this year, for a full listing of the bands playing in Detroit, check out www.warpedtour.com. Make sure to drink plenty of water and make sure to stay away from the sweaty guy with the “Free Hugs” shirts (because you know there will be plenty of them).

Warped Tour plays Comerica Park on Friday, July 30^th. Tickets are $33 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. For additional dates and info, check out www.warpedtour.com.