The "Dark Roots Of Thrash Tour" Brings The Love To New York City On Valentines Day!

This past Thursday, February 14, over two thousand headbangers celebrated Valentines Day at The "Dark Roots Of Thrash" Tour. This once in a lifetime tour features TESTAMENT, OVERKILL (no longer part of the tour), FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, and 4ARM. The New York City stop of the tour took place at the Best Buy Theater in the heart of Times Square, were the love for Thrash Metal was present from beginning to end.

While most fans showed up to see TESTAMENT and OVERKILL share a stage for the first time in over 25 years, 4ARM and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM were perfectly picked to warm up the crowd. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM always deliver the musical goods. Not only does FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bring plenty of experience to this tour, but they offer the TestaKill fans a fresh sonic approach when it comes to live music by jamming their hearts out.

Once OVERKILL took center stage, the venue was fully packed and the crowd was on their feet when Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and the rest of the band demolished ear drums via their vulgar display of old school Metal! Even though "Blitz" was later diagnosed with pneumonia, which is why the band had to cancel their appearance on the rest of the tour, he sounded great and do not let anybody tell you otherwise. While he was kneeling down quiet often while performing live,and allegedly was given oxygen during the bands set, "Blitz" didn't miss a beat and OVERKILL brought their A game!
However, OVERKILL were forced to cancel their appearance for the rest of the tour due to the fact that Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth's needs time to recover from pneumonia. Full statement HERE!

After we all quenched our thirsts with some cold brews, which we obviously enjoyed responsibly, TESTAMENT took center stage and became everyone's Valentine! We have personally seen TESTAMENT various times within the last few years and even though they performed some amazing sets, this time around the band - Chuck Billy (vocals), Alex Skolnick & Eric Peterson (guitars), Greg Christian (bass), Gene Hoglan (drums) - went for the kill. Even though the competition between Heavy Music bands is always a friendly one, we humans love competition. And TESTAMENT definitely stepped their game up in order to be able to outperform OVERKILL and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. Take a look at the bands killer set list:

It is refreshing to know that our music is alive and well, and that the future is very bright! If you get the chance to catch this amazing tour, do not hesitate. Just make sure you warm your neck up and that you bring ear plugs. Here are the remaining tour dates:

2/20: Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH
2/21: The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
2/22: The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
2/23: First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
2/25: The Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
2/26: In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
2/27: Knitting Factory – Reno, NV
2/28: Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA

Related links:  
Testament
Overkill
Flotsam And Jetsam

No Storm Can Stop The MAYHEM When SLIPKNOT, SLAYER & MOTÖRHEAD Have Something Loud To Say About It!

Photo by: Damien Mitchell

This past Sunday (August 5th), the fifth edition of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival came to a conclusion in Hartford, Connecticut. As it is typical, the New England Metallers know how to have a good time and never let anything (specially bad weather) get in the way of their appointment with Heavy Music. It was really cool to see so many generations of music both on and off stage, gathered together in unity! This is ultimately what Mayhem Fest represents.

When we arrived to the venue around 12:30 PM, a rabid pack of fans was waiting patiently to enter the mayhem and as soon as the gates of the Comcast Theatre (one of the largest amphitheaters in the U.S.), the crowd roared inside and ignited the party!

As it is known already, Mayhem Fest is divided into a two part event: part 1 of the event takes place at the second stages (sponsored this year by: Jägermeister and Sumerian records), while part 2 of the event takes in the main concert pavilion (which holds 30,000 people).

During the first half of the day, the fans get very intimate sets with some of the veterans and rookies of Heavy Music! The action takes place in the second stages, which are constantly rotating artists so that there is always a band playing live (not even a minute of silence). Some of the highlights of the second stages were the performances of ANTHRAX (who used the rain as their fuel for worshiping music), AS I LAY DYING, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and WHITECHAPEL (who are to blame for starting one of the most intense thunderstorms of the entire festival).

Once ANTHRAX finished their set with their classic song "I Am The Law", which featured SLIPKNOT's singer Corey Taylor on the first chorus, it was time for the fans to grab yet another cold beer and take over the main concert pavilion. This is when we realized how many people were present at the last chapter of this year's Mayhem Fest!

While ASKING ALEXANDRIA has been growing fast and has become a very well known band around the world, they still need a lot more experience in order to handle such a massive audience. Nevertheless, they managed to warm up some ear buds for the legendary Rock N' Roll band MOTÖRHEAD!

Once LEMMY took center stage, the party was definitely on. After all, the infamous frontman is not only known for his rocking skills but he is also an avid fan of Jack Daniel's. Something that really surprised us was to see many attendees sitting down still as if they were watching a Justin Bieber concert. Perhaps is was the generational pulley that we mentioned above?

The MOTÖRHEAD boys rocked through many classic songs like "Ace Of Spades", "Overkill" and "Killed By Death", as well as through a few of their NEW songs from their latest album 'The World Is Yours'!

A few minutes passed 8 PM, the white curtain was brought down and the crowd started going insane. Why? Well, everyone knows that the white curtain is synonymous to SLAYER letting you know that this will be the only peaceful moment you will have for the next hour or so. As soon as they started their epic set, the fans that were stalled during MOTÖRHEAD's set finally came to life and started losing their minds! 

Blasting through songs from their massive catalog, the worlds mightiest band had no problem delivering the Metallic goods to thousands of maniacs, who literally lost their minds when songs like "Angel Of Death", "Raining Blood", "Seasons In The Abyss" and "South Of Heaven" were being blasted at full volume... Holy shit, SLAYER is loud!

There are many awesome Heavy Metal bands, but there is only one SLAYER!

Closing the 2012 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival was one of the most evil and theatrical bands today: SLIPKNOT! This is when the crowd went absolutely insane. As we all know, the bands live performances are dangerous and unpredictable. This wasn't an exception at the Comcast Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut.

From the moment the band stepped on stage until they said "good night" one last time at this year's fest, the adrenaline was rushing throughout the entire venue. Security were kept busy by the hundreds of crowd surfers (who lost shows, glasses, wallets, cell phones, and some even lost their minds) and did a phenomenal job at keeping the show rolling smoothly.

For the first time in the many times we have seen SLAYER, there was a band that outperformed them. That band was SLIPKNOT. Was it the fire they have been breathing in since the loss of their bassist Paul Gray? Was it because this was their comeback tour in U.S. soil? We believe it was SLIPKNOT proving that they have plenty of gasoline left for their pyro.

The band performed the following songs:

1: (sic)
2: Eyeless
3: Sulfur
4: Wait and Bleed
5: Before I Forget
6: Disasterpieces
7: Gently
8: Vermilion
9: The Heretic Anthem
10: Psychosocial (dedicated to Paul Gray)
11: Duality (dedicated to Paul Gray)
12: Spit It Out
13: People = Shit
14: Surfacing

     Photo by: Damien Mitchell

  

                           Photo by: Damien Mitchell

      Photo by: Damien Mitchell

Special thanks to: Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, John Reese, Sasha Martyanova, Adrenaline PR, Zulie Alvarez, Luis Drums, Paul Sosa, Damien Mitchell, Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead, Anthrax, Asking Alexandria, The Devil Wears Prada, Whiechapel, Upon A Burning Body and all the fans!

Join the revolution, contribute to our Indiegogo campaign! Click HERE: www.indiegogo.com/hornsup
 

Related links:
Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival
Slipknot
Slayer
Motorhead

Motörhead Prove Their Legacy At Gigantour In New York Rock City!

Last Saturday (January 28) we had the chance to catch the legendary Heavy Metal band Motörhead live and loud at New York City's WaMu Theater, located inside Madison Square Garden. The occasion? The 2012 version of Gigantour, which also featured Megadeth, Volbeat, and Lacuna Coil! The sold out show, which welcomed over 6,000 headbangers, had a lot of ups and downs! While the bands all performed their very best, the volume for all four bands was too low for such a big show. As a result, many concertgoers felt ripped off! We can't blame them! Heavy Music is meant to be loud and proud.

As we all know not only is Motörhead one of the most influential Heavy Metal bands of all time, but lets not forget that their singer/song writer/bassist/badass Lemmy Kilmister is GOD! Or as Oderus from Gwar puts it: "the Metallic Pope"!

After over 35 years of extreme hard work, drinking, partying and taking all over the world, some may think that the band might be getting old and that they are becoming irrelevant. Rest assured that when it comes to Motörhead this equation does not apply, specially not after the release of their new album titled "The World Is Yours". The band sounds fresh, tight as hell, and just like with fine Whiskey: the more they age, the better they get.

From the moment they stepped on stage and faced the rabid fans who sold it out the show, the entire room went absolutely insane! In the many years we have been attending concerts, we have never seen a crowd throw so many Horns UP as they did whenever Lemmy interacted with the furious crowd! The band played classics such as "Ace Of Spades" and "Overkill". Additionally, drummer Mikkey Dee performed a very impressive solo!

SETLIST:

1) Bomber
2) Damage Case
3) I Know How To Die
4) Metropolis
5) Over the Top
6) The Chase Is Better Than the Catch
7) The One to Sing the Blues (Drum solo)
8) Going to Brazil
9) Killed by Death
10) Ace of Spades
11) Overkill

If there is a man that should have a statue in London's Trafalgar Square, its Lemmy Kilmister! And if Motörhead does not get inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame, we will personally start a riot! \m/

"Gigantour" 2012, featuring Megadeth, Motörhead, Volbeat, and Lacuna Coil! Remaining tour dates!

February:

5 – K-Rock Centre – Kingston, ON
7 – General Motors Centre – Oshawa, ON
8 – Copps Coliseum – Hamilton, ON
9 – Palace of Auburn Hills – Auburn Hills, MI
10 – Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
12 – Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
14 – Myth – St. Paul, MN
16 – Prairieland – Saskatoon, SK
17 – Shaw Conference Centre – Edmonton, AB
18 – Big 4 Building – Calgary, AB
20 – Abbotsford Ent & Sports Centre – Abbotsford, BC
21 – Showare Center – Kent, WA
23 – Event Center at San Jose State University – San Jose, CA
24 – Gibson Amphitheatre – Universal City, CA
25 – Comerica Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
26 – Tingley Coliseum – Albuquerque, NM
28 – The Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, CO

Photo credit: Steve Lars from Creative Ventures International & Steve Lars on Facebook

Related links:
Motörhead
Lemmy on Facebook
Motörhead on Twitter

Lamb Of God Unleashes The Beast At Their 'Resolution' CD Release Show In New York City - Full Report & Killer Images Available!

On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, Heavy Metal history was written in New York City. In celebration of Lamb Of God's NEW studio album entitled 'Resolution', 1200+ headbangers took over the legendary Irving Plaza to witness an intimate, balls out, and extremely ferocious set by Richmond, Virginia's Lamb Of God! The event was warmed up by openers Too Late The Hero and The Acacia Strain, which in our opinion did not do justice to what the Lamb Of God fans paid for (which was a lot of money). Of course everyone came to see Lamb Of God, but neither of these two bands have the caliber to be opening for one of the most important bands in the Heavy Music world!

With that said, once Lamb Of God took center stage at around 10:00 PM, the entire place exploded into what could have easily been confused with a warzone! The Virginia Metallers kicked off their set with a NEW song entitled "Desolation", which sounded way better than on the album. We've always said it: Lamb Of God is a LIVE band and their most recent recorded work does not do them justice.

One thing that sets apart Lamb Of God from the rest of the pack, is their level of professionalism. Even though they had a few technical glitches with their guitars, they didn't let this affect their performance and the overall sound of the band was pretty damn good. We personally believe that part of the problem was that their equipment is made for big venues and not intimate ones like Irving Plaza.

And then you got D. Randall Blythe, one of the best frontman in Heavy Music! While some of his band members are still getting into touring mode, Randy is ready for the bands World Tour in support of 'Resolution'. Sporting a NEW "rasta" look, Randy is proof that sobriety can lead to wonderful achievements. His voice sounded like it was infected with nails from the get-go, and never cracked. Not even in the most brutal parts of a given song.

All in all, it was a vulgar display of true Heavy Metal! Lamb Of God will be busy touring the entire world for the next few years, so make sure you check them out when they come to destroy all of your senses! And hey, make sure you pick up their NEW album 'Resolution'!

Lamb Of God Setlist - New York City, Irving Plaza, January 24, 2011

1) Desolation
2) Ghost Walking
3) Walk With Me In Hell
4) Set to Fail
5) Now You've Got Something to Die For
6) Ruin
7) Hourglass
8) The Undertow
9) Descending
10) Contractor
11) The Number Six
12) Laid to Rest

Encore:

The Passing
13) In Your Words
14) Redneck
15) Black Label

The club dates are:

January 27th- Toronto- Phoenix Concert Hall
January 28th- Washington DC- 9:30 Club

Support on all shows except Richmond will be The Acacia Strain and Too Late The Hero. Following the club shows, the band starts the Pacific portion of the 'Resolution' tour ending with the band’s first ever show in Alaska.

These dates are:

February 12th- Seoul, South Korea
February 14th- Shanghai, China (With Chthonic)
February 16th- Taipei, Taiwan
February 18th- Manila, Philippines
February 20th- Singapore (With Judas Priest)
February 22nd- Tokyo, Japan
February 23rd- Osaka, Japan
February 25th to March 5th- Soundwave Festival, Australia
March 7th- Auckland, New Zealand
March 9th- Anchorage, Alaska

From there the band will head over South America and Mexico. Here are those tour-dates:

- Saturday, March 31st: Sao Paulo, Brazil at Espaco Lux
- Sunday, April 1st: Curitiba, Brazil at Curitiba Master Hall
- Monday, April 2nd: Buenos Aires, Argentina at Microestadio Malvinas Argentinas
- Wednesday, April 4th: Santiago, Chile at Teatro Caupolican
- Friday, April 6th: Quito, Ecuador at Teatro Bolivar
- Saturday, April 7th: Bogota, Colombia at Teatro Metropol
- Sunday, April 8th: Caracas, Venezuela at CIEC Caracas
- Tuesday, April 10th: Mexico City, Mexico at Jose Cuervo Salon

Lamb Of God 'Resolution' Tour In Europe:

- 5/26/12: PALACE GROUNDS / BANGALORE, INDIA
- 5/28/12: FUZZ CLUB / ATHENS, GREECE
- 5/30/12: HANGAR 11 / TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL
- 6/1 6/3: ROCK AM RING, ROCK AM PARK, GERMANY
- 6/2/12: FORTA ROCK, HOLLAND
- 6/5/12: KRAKOW / STUDIO, POLAND
- 6/6/12: BRATISLAVA / MAJESTIC, SLOVAKIA
- 6/7/12: MUNICH / BACKSTAGE WERK, GERMANY
- 6/8/12: NOVA ROCK, AUSTRIA
- 6/10/12: DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, UK
- 6/12/12: MANDELA HALL/BELFAST, UK
- 6/13/12: ACADEMY /DUBLIN, IRELAND
- 6/15/12: METAL TOWN, SWEDEN
- 6/16/12: COPENHELL, DENMARK
- 6/17/12: HELLFEST, FRANCE
- 6/19/12: MADRID / RIVIERA, SPAIN
- 6/20/12: BARCELONA / RAZZMATAZZ 2, SPAIN
- 6/22/12: GRASSPOP, BELGIUM
- 6/23/12: EAR SHAKER DAYS, SWITZERLAND
- 6/24/12: GODS OF METAL, ITALY
- 6/26/12: ZAGREB / BOOGALOO, CROATIA
- 6/27/12: LJUBLJANA / KINO SISKA, SLOVENIA
- 6/28/12: PRAGUE / ROCK CAFÉ, CZECH REPUBLIC
- 6/29/12: WITH FULL FORCE, GERMANY
- 7/1/12: TUSKA, FINLAND

Pre-orders for the new album are available now at www.lamb-of-god.com/resolution and will feature multiple premium bundles. Anyone who pre-orders from iTunes or the LAMB OF GOD website will get the single ‘Ghost Walking’ as an instant gratification track.

Photo credit: Steve Lars from Creative Ventures International & Steve Lars on Facebook

Related links"
Lamb Of God
Lamb Of God of Facebook
Click here for your chance to meet Lamb Of God

BLACKDIAMONDSKYE at Madison Square Garden

On Friday night, Madison Square Garden welcomed the "BLACKDIAMONDSKYE" tour. The national tour features Alice In Chains, deftones and Mastodon. A lineup that is simply unmatched by any tour thus far in 2010. Both 3 bands represent different times in music, in which they have managed to become huge influences on many bands thanks to their statuses as flag holders. As we all know, Madison Square Garden is the dream venue for any musician to perform at, and Alice In Chains, deftones and Mastodon all made history together. Let us tell you about this magical night.

Earlier this year, we ran into Mastodon's singer/bassist Troy Sanders and drummer Brann Dailor at the Slipknot show at Madison Square Garden and told them: "You guys will be on that stage very soon!" Both of them sighed and smiled. Fast forward 7 months and they are opening the "BLACKDIAMONDSKYE" tour at the worlds largest arena. Thankfully we arrived just as Mastodon were starting their set with their song "Naked Burn", and we were very happy to witness this historical event. Mastodon warmed up the crowd with songs like "Divinations" and "Colony of Birchmen". The band kept blowing peoples minds throughout their 8 song set, which was concluded with "Blood and Thunder".


Then it was time for Sacramento's deftones to take over center stage at Madison Square Garden. From the get-go the band was on point and Chino looked and sounded phenomenal. It was evident that Chino needed to change his lifestyle in order to improve his performance-ship and after hearing members of the crowd say: "The deftones are back, Chino is definitely back!" It was evident that the band is in fact, back in style.

They opened their set with "Rocket Skates" and got the crowd grooving, then they got into Around the Fur mode and played "Around the Fur", "Be Quiet and Drive", and "My Own Summer". After a few new songs from their latest album "Diamond Eyes", the band played all the crowds favorites like "Change (In The House of Flies)", "Engine No. 9" and they left in a very high note after playing "7 Words". The deftones owned Madison Square Garden, and we expect them back within the next few years on their own headlining tour.

Then it was time for Alice In Chains to headline Madison Square Garden. As many of us know they are missing their original front-man Layne Staley, who died in 2002 from an overdose. In our opinion they have proved all skeptics wrong, and Alice In Chains did justice by bringing in William DuVall to replace Staley. Any doubt doubt anyone had on his performance before their performance, was quickly washed away by his amazing performance-ship and original stage antics.


The band kicked off their set with "Them Bones", which immediately made the crowd lose their minds. During the next hour and a half, Alice In Chains performed songs like "No Excuses", "Down in a Hole", "Rooster", "Man In The Box" and ended the amazing music night with "Would?". What impressed us the most about Alice In Chains, was the fact that all their older songs sounded timeless, their stage presence was intact and the light show was simple yet colorful.

If you get a chance to catch the "BLACKDIAMONDSKY" tour, do your ears a favor and take them to this sonically perfect tour.





Here is a clip of Alice In Chains opening with "Them Bones":


The Black Diamond Skye Tour:


Related links:
The Black Diamond Skye Tour
Official Site of Alice in Chains
Official Site of the deftones
Official Site of Mastodon

IMPRINTED by Jo Schüftan (Founder of Horns Up Rocks)