Aftershock Festival Day Two – Discovery Park, Sacramento, CA 9/13
By Jeffrey Easton
After barely recovering from Day One of Aftershock 2013 it was back out to the grind for another day of heaviness with an insane line up scheduled. I was disappointed to learn that Airbourne and Filter were not going to be there due to various reasons but that was not going to bother me enough to ruin the day. Hell Or High Water kicked off and where as they are good, their aggressiveness does not match what is coming out of the singer’s mouth. It’s like his happy go lucky attitude in what he sings belongs to another band. Gemini Syndrome took the main stage next and lyrically I have to say they were the darkest band on the bill. Their debut album, Lux, takes you on an aggressive mental ride that you will not soon forget. It explores the deep mental spaces that you will be scared to go to but you will not soon forget. Miss May I, the fast rising stars in the metalcore world, owned the Ernie Ball stage with the fans screaming at every note the band blasted out. At Heart was such a massive break out for them and with a fourth studio album looming that will be produced by Terry Date it will only blow up from here for them. Speaking of blowing up, that is exactly what Asking Alexandria has done with their new album, From Death To Destiny. They have been constantly touring and building a following and have finally broken through to the top of the metalcore world. They now own what they have fought through and with them hitting the main stage at Aftershock their destiny is almost complete. There is always a hunger and they will continue to feed on the scene but damnit they found their way. A dangerous band to know and seriously the face of metalcore. For HIM, I have been waiting ages to see them live and Ville Valo did not fail to deliver. Tears On Tape is their masterful new record and they unleashed the first single, Lips Go Blue, as they hit the stage. Their set was mystical to say the least as they displayed the title track to their new cd as well as Soul On Fire, The Kiss Of Dawn and show closing cover Wicked Game. Their presence is ominous and a welcome addition to the darker bands on the festival. Welcome is one word I would have for the return of Soil with Ryan McCombs on vocals. Their new album, Whole, is an angry, dark, punishing piece of work and holy shit did they deliver on this album live. With Loaded Gun and Shine On along with Halo and Need To Feel haunting the setlist, the fans will not forget their official return to heavy glory and the Ernie Ball stage was officially wrecked after their set was over. While fans were at Aftershock for the bands, the grounds were littered with some amazing booths that you could kill your time at and buy things from. Schecter Guitars, which endorsed probably half the bands there, had a killer booth displaying their new guitars and included an area where fans could play as well as autograph signings each day with some of the amazing bands there. There was also Crazy Daves music who hosted some off the wall contests as well as showing off all of the killer gear they had for sale. These guys know how to entertain and get you in their booth as well as hosting some great autograph signings. I also have to shout out to Victory Records and their booth where they were dolling out samplers for some of their best acts and their new releases. If you have not checked them out lately you are out of touch with heavy music. Halestorm was the next act I had to see and as always I am never disappointed. Lzzy is possibly one of the best female fronts any band has seen to date and she shreds well on her axe and has some of the best pipes going. Their new record, The Strange Case Of… is one of the stand out records of 2012 and with Love Bites…(So Do I) winning a Grammy you know this is a record that will be around for a while sales wise. A Day To Remember took the crowd back to a dark and heavy vibe with their stunning mix of pop punk and metalcore mixed perfectly. They have a new record about to drop entitled Common Courtesy and they unleashed a few gems off of it with Right Back At It Again and Violence (Enough Is Enough). Violence will be the stand out track in their career and it got the crowd rolling. Jeremy is the ultimate frontman and kept the fans engaged from the first note. Volbeat, one of the best imports from Copenhagen since King Diamond, kept Aftershock rolling and was one of the massive highlights of my weekend. I have caught them many times and their show is never old. With the release of Outlaw Gentlemen they have included guitarist and producer Rob Caggiano and his lead abilities only added to the older material and made the new stuff explode off of the stage. Outlaw Gentlemen shows the progression of the band and it was apparent in the live setting as they came off better than ever. The Ernie Ball Stage closed out the evening with All That Remains as the headliner and they delivered a nasty blow. The pit was violent and they were heavier than ever. Still out for A War That You Cannot Win, they have displayed that you can get heavier and still be a successful band as the record has done as well as For We Are Many and they really belonged on this festival. They had the crowd on their ear for the whole set and Phil had the crowd in his hands, period. Five Finger Death Punch, I don’t get it. They are just another hardcore band and for some reason they caught on something and have captured a crowd and ran with it. All of the material sounded the same and just another normal stage show. If you like them, more power to you but I will throw in that Jason Hook played for Mandy Moore, that’s not a recipe for hardcore angst. Again, the show closed as the day before showing the diversity of this festival. On one stage you have 5FDP and on the other you have Avenged Sevenfold, two bands that are polar opposites. With the release of Hail To The King the band had a lot to show off to the fans and that they did. They came out with a massive stage set showcasing the album title, complete with a skeleton king on his throne. Hey, spare no expense when you are trying to impress. To add punch to the stage show they threw out Shepherd Of Fire, Hail To The King, This Means War and Requiem from the new record and the fans were already into it. Its good to have a fan base that learns the words on the day the record drops. They also hit the back catalog with Nightmare, Bat Country, Welcome To The Family as well with set closer Unholy Confessions. This band continues their trajectory upwards and there will be no stopping them. So you have Aftershock 2013, a brilliant, well thought out and sold out success with 32,000 in attendance and who said rock was dead.
Official Aftershock Site
By Jeffrey Easton
After barely recovering from Day One of Aftershock 2013 it was back out to the grind for another day of heaviness with an insane line up scheduled. I was disappointed to learn that Airbourne and Filter were not going to be there due to various reasons but that was not going to bother me enough to ruin the day. Hell Or High Water kicked off and where as they are good, their aggressiveness does not match what is coming out of the singer’s mouth. It’s like his happy go lucky attitude in what he sings belongs to another band. Gemini Syndrome took the main stage next and lyrically I have to say they were the darkest band on the bill. Their debut album, Lux, takes you on an aggressive mental ride that you will not soon forget. It explores the deep mental spaces that you will be scared to go to but you will not soon forget. Miss May I, the fast rising stars in the metalcore world, owned the Ernie Ball stage with the fans screaming at every note the band blasted out. At Heart was such a massive break out for them and with a fourth studio album looming that will be produced by Terry Date it will only blow up from here for them. Speaking of blowing up, that is exactly what Asking Alexandria has done with their new album, From Death To Destiny. They have been constantly touring and building a following and have finally broken through to the top of the metalcore world. They now own what they have fought through and with them hitting the main stage at Aftershock their destiny is almost complete. There is always a hunger and they will continue to feed on the scene but damnit they found their way. A dangerous band to know and seriously the face of metalcore. For HIM, I have been waiting ages to see them live and Ville Valo did not fail to deliver. Tears On Tape is their masterful new record and they unleashed the first single, Lips Go Blue, as they hit the stage. Their set was mystical to say the least as they displayed the title track to their new cd as well as Soul On Fire, The Kiss Of Dawn and show closing cover Wicked Game. Their presence is ominous and a welcome addition to the darker bands on the festival. Welcome is one word I would have for the return of Soil with Ryan McCombs on vocals. Their new album, Whole, is an angry, dark, punishing piece of work and holy shit did they deliver on this album live. With Loaded Gun and Shine On along with Halo and Need To Feel haunting the setlist, the fans will not forget their official return to heavy glory and the Ernie Ball stage was officially wrecked after their set was over. While fans were at Aftershock for the bands, the grounds were littered with some amazing booths that you could kill your time at and buy things from. Schecter Guitars, which endorsed probably half the bands there, had a killer booth displaying their new guitars and included an area where fans could play as well as autograph signings each day with some of the amazing bands there. There was also Crazy Daves music who hosted some off the wall contests as well as showing off all of the killer gear they had for sale. These guys know how to entertain and get you in their booth as well as hosting some great autograph signings. I also have to shout out to Victory Records and their booth where they were dolling out samplers for some of their best acts and their new releases. If you have not checked them out lately you are out of touch with heavy music. Halestorm was the next act I had to see and as always I am never disappointed. Lzzy is possibly one of the best female fronts any band has seen to date and she shreds well on her axe and has some of the best pipes going. Their new record, The Strange Case Of… is one of the stand out records of 2012 and with Love Bites…(So Do I) winning a Grammy you know this is a record that will be around for a while sales wise. A Day To Remember took the crowd back to a dark and heavy vibe with their stunning mix of pop punk and metalcore mixed perfectly. They have a new record about to drop entitled Common Courtesy and they unleashed a few gems off of it with Right Back At It Again and Violence (Enough Is Enough). Violence will be the stand out track in their career and it got the crowd rolling. Jeremy is the ultimate frontman and kept the fans engaged from the first note. Volbeat, one of the best imports from Copenhagen since King Diamond, kept Aftershock rolling and was one of the massive highlights of my weekend. I have caught them many times and their show is never old. With the release of Outlaw Gentlemen they have included guitarist and producer Rob Caggiano and his lead abilities only added to the older material and made the new stuff explode off of the stage. Outlaw Gentlemen shows the progression of the band and it was apparent in the live setting as they came off better than ever. The Ernie Ball Stage closed out the evening with All That Remains as the headliner and they delivered a nasty blow. The pit was violent and they were heavier than ever. Still out for A War That You Cannot Win, they have displayed that you can get heavier and still be a successful band as the record has done as well as For We Are Many and they really belonged on this festival. They had the crowd on their ear for the whole set and Phil had the crowd in his hands, period. Five Finger Death Punch, I don’t get it. They are just another hardcore band and for some reason they caught on something and have captured a crowd and ran with it. All of the material sounded the same and just another normal stage show. If you like them, more power to you but I will throw in that Jason Hook played for Mandy Moore, that’s not a recipe for hardcore angst. Again, the show closed as the day before showing the diversity of this festival. On one stage you have 5FDP and on the other you have Avenged Sevenfold, two bands that are polar opposites. With the release of Hail To The King the band had a lot to show off to the fans and that they did. They came out with a massive stage set showcasing the album title, complete with a skeleton king on his throne. Hey, spare no expense when you are trying to impress. To add punch to the stage show they threw out Shepherd Of Fire, Hail To The King, This Means War and Requiem from the new record and the fans were already into it. Its good to have a fan base that learns the words on the day the record drops. They also hit the back catalog with Nightmare, Bat Country, Welcome To The Family as well with set closer Unholy Confessions. This band continues their trajectory upwards and there will be no stopping them. So you have Aftershock 2013, a brilliant, well thought out and sold out success with 32,000 in attendance and who said rock was dead.
Official Aftershock Site
