Fuel The Scene Magazine #03 MARCH 2018 by Fuel The Scene Magazine

ISSUE #3 | MARCH 2018

IN THIS ISSUE 1

THE EDITORS’ LIST: KICK ASS BANDS THAT YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW AXIS Five, Dead Morale, 8 Vacant Graves, The Sketch, Til We Ignite, Written In Gray

COVER STORY: THE GHOULIES INTERVIEW

THE GHOULIES “MIDNIGHT IN AMERICA” ALBUM REVIEW

KNIGHTMARE “WALK THROUGH THE FIRE” ALBUM REVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH KNIGHTMARE

SECOND DEATH “SUBSTANCE” EP REVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH IN THIS MOMENT AT LOUDER THAN LIFE ‘17

SHOW REVIEW: WINTER METALFEST Arborlea, Kairos.,Black Ritual, Something Clever, Violent Life Violent Death

ASKING ALEXANDIRA “SELF TITLED” ALBUM REVIEW

IMPERSONA “DYSPHORIA” EP REVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH COURAGE MY LOVE AT WARPED TOUR ‘17

SHOW REVIEW: THE MILESTONE Den of Wolves, Raviner, Reason|Define, Violent Life Violent Death

CREDITS

FESTIVAL PREVIEW: WELCOME TO ROCKVILLE 2018

Thank you to all of our contributors who make this dream possible and are actively working together to breathe life into the live music scene that we all love. You are the fuel that keeps the music alive. Editors | Rei Haycraft, William Dibble, Kristy Streyle Photographers | William Dibble, Kevin McGee, Terie Shaver, Rei Haycraft, Gary Carota, Connor Schlosser, Lola Marie Writers | William Dibble, Rose Estrada, Rei Haycraft, Josh Foster, Savanah Ruiz Designer | Rei Haycraft / Revenant Images Founded by | Rei Haycraft, Jaton Blaney, and Kristy Streyle

All band promotional photos submitted to us are copyright their respective owners, please contact each band for more information.

THE EDITORS’ LIST OF KICK ASS BANDS THAT YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW AXIS FIVE Rock from Roanoke, VA AXIS Five is an original rock band with a heart-stopping, high-energy live show and decades of live performance experience. With over 200 live concerts performed, the band has the experience and professional know-how to create the perfect blend of music and action that will both touch and elate each audience member. Their third full-length album, “Earthlings,” drops later this Spring.

@AXISFiveFans @AXISfiv www.AxisFiveBand.com

DEAD MORALE Metal from Atlanta, GA Dead Morale is a new, blistering hot metalcore band from Atlanta, GA that have already hit the stage hard in preparation for their debut EP, “Revive,” set to be released on March 30th.

@deadmorale @dead_morale deadmorale.bigcartel.com Photo credit: Trent Edward Arant

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THE EDITORS’ LIST OF KICK ASS BANDS THAT YOU 8 VACANT GRAVES Metal from Asheville, NC 8 Vacant Graves formed in the mountains of Asheville NC. in late March of 2016 with members Ken Mcafee (vox), Jacob “Jake” Moneymaker (drums), and Jason Sirgo (guitar). Shortly after the formation of Graves they were joined by Sam Caldwell (bass//backing vox). The band has since has graced the many stages Asheville has to offer. Including the one and only Orange Peel.

@8vacantgraves @8vacantgraves 8vacantgraves.bandcamp.com

THE SKETCH Indie Rock from Hickory, NC The Sketch is a progressive indie rock band with funk and blues elements that is breaking barriers and blurring the lines of genres. After many years of ideas, strife, and growth they have formed a project aiming to provide awesome jams for your ears and to fuel your hearts. Listen and artake in the shading The Sketch.

@thesketchofficial @thesketch.official reverbnation.com/thesketch4 2

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SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW TIL WE IGNITE Nu Metal/Post-Hardcore from Raleigh, NC Til We Ignite, formed late 2017, is a nu-metal/ post-hardcore band based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Til We Ignite combines energetic and heavy riffs, with upbeat drums and dual vocals to have a unique sound. The band consist of Sophie Peck [vocals], Brandon Azize [vocals], Luis Santos [guitar], Marquana Burgess [bass], and Mason Shell [drums] – They aim to be high energy and hype all while presenting a positive message to their fans. With a new EP on the way, Til We Ignite is ready for A New Beginning.

@tilweignite @tilweignite

WRITTEN IN GRAY Metal/Dadcore from Winston-Salem, NC Sometime around 2013 four metalhead numbskulls from the middle of nowhere decided to make a bunch of noise. The first offical release by the band was their “Sea Of Embers” EP in May of 2017. Originally intended as a full-length LP, was trimmed down due to the bands dislike of some of the songs. The band is currently in the final stages of the writing process for their first full-length, and will enter the studio in the late summer, hoping for a winter release.

@writteningray @written_in_gray writteningray.bandcamp.com FUEL THE SCENE MAGAZINE

COVER STORY / INTERVIEW

THE GHOULIES Rose Estrada spoke with Denver, CO natives The Ghoulies as they prepared for the release of their newest album, “Midnight In America.” Photography by Karl Pfeiffer.

For the uninitiated, how would you describe The Ghoulies sound and what can new fans expect from a live performance? DAN: We try to create the kind of music that we want to listen to. We all grew up listening to punk music and some more traditional rock and roll- we’ve all always been huge Green Day fans and such. So when we started playing together, that’s the kind of stuff we were writing. But as time went on, we discovered the Chess Records catalog and 60s garage and 90s garage revival that inflected a lot of our writing. There’s a quote from a book called We Never Learn by the New Bomb Turks singer about bands in the late 80s that were “more concerned with assshakin’ than moshing” and how they drew from early rock and roll and hillbilly as much as the big 70s punk acts, and we think that description works for us too. For our live show, we try to get people moving and we really like to go nuts on stage. We don’t really play any downbeat songs and we play a lot of covers just because we like to. We also try to play short sets!

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The album features a hidden track which you labeled for us as, “Lonely.” It stands out as a huge departure from the rest of the songs both in its Johnny Cash-esque construction and it’s dirty and raw production. Could you tell us a little bit about that? JAKE: That’s a hidden track. At the end of college, Dan (our organist who played bass at the time) moved to Florida. This was tough for me as his twin. We don’t often write songs with a lot of personal moments, so this one is the black sheep on the album. I wrote this song in my last college apartment in the weeks before Dan moved and we’ve been sitting on it since the end of 2013. That Johnny Cash American Recordings album feel is exactly where we were aiming. “Lonely” is the last song we recorded and did it in just a handful of takes. What is the obscure Americana that your album is reportedly inspired by and how do The Ghoulies fit into that category? DAN: We love going on the road and seeing all kinds of weird things in roadside attractions and such. We’re all into the paranormal and

stories of American urban legends. We visited Roswell, New Mexico a few years ago and named our second album after the place. When we sat down to think about what we’d title the album (we had a lot of working titles), we tried to boil down what the songs were about. We came up with pretty much three groups of things: touring and highways, UFOs and ghost stories, and some of our anxieties and worries.. What can you tell us about Elvis Christ? JAKE: Elvis Christ is our lord and savior. But seriously, we’re huge Elvis fans, and we even considered calling this record “‘68 Comeback Special” as a callback to his last great album. I think that started as a reference to a Cramps song, but became something else entirely. I don’t think a lot of people have really listened to Elvis’ stuff outside of his #1’s, but he’s way more than “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Jailhouse Rock.” His Sun Records stuff is great, then his soundtrack albums are terrible, and then you see him just barely touch his best stuff again in 1968 and 1969 before he really goes off his rocker and heads toward his death. It’s a pretty great but tragic story.

INTERVIEW BY ROSE ESTRADA PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARL PFEIFFER

Would you consider yourselves amongst the last holdouts of the late 70’s/80’s punk movement? Amongst the first wave of a new resurgence of American punk with a retro feel? Or something else entirely? JAKE: We didn’t know for a long time that we were trying to get to that Didjits/Cynics/ Mummies sound, but that’s where we landed. I think we idolize the same things they did-‘60s garage greats, backwoods rockabilly pickers, and really trash exploitation movies. If that style came back in a big way I think we would be happy as can be, it would be nice to be counted among them. In this album you did not have a single song hit the 3 minute mark, which was not the case in your last three releases (counting the live album). Was this a conscious choice you undertook or did that just happen naturally? JAKE: This is the first record where we had a producer. Ryan Perras at District was extremely helpful at cutting out the crap that doesn’t count. “Lust-Filled She-Demons of the Cold War” started out over 5 minutes long, and he helped us cut it down. We try to avoid the mid-tempo death knell for songs, but most of it comes down to Ryan saying “This part doesn’t add anything,” and trimming things down. We didn’t go in to write a short record, but this is by far the shortest we’ve released. DAN: It helps that we went into this record knowing what we wanted to do a lot more than we ever had. It was a much more focused record, which meant there weren’t many diversions or experiments.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve witnessed while on the road? DAN: One time, in Norman, Oklahoma, we played an absolutely awful show at a DIY space in a warehouse. There was one guy there who was tripping absolute balls for the whole show. He was this really tall guy so we called him “Lurch” all night. He carried a rock around in his pocket, wrapped in a hankerchief. He would periodically take the rock out, stroke it with his finger, and whisper to it. Eventually, he started stabbing a mattress in the alleyway with a knife and rolling around the show floor until he was kicked out of the place by the promoter. We saw him score more drugs in the alley later. Are you already planning your next album or are you going to enjoy playing these songs for a while before worrying about what comes next? JAKE: We’re planning on a least one EP, if not several somewhat soon. We want to avoid having three years between our next release. Expect at least one Elvis cover. DAN: We are always kind of scheming about what’s going to come next, so we’ll ride these songs for a while, but we’re pretty much always thinking about the future. If you had a late night AM radio show, what would you fill the time with? DAN: I’m pretty sure we’d just make it a total copy of Coast-to-Coast AM, which is what one of our songs is about on this new record. Coast-to-Coast is absolutely bananas. They have really weird people and folks who claim

to have been abducted by aliens and all kinds of conspiracy theorists on it. I’m sure we’d do something like that. What advice would you have for other bands starting out in their own local scenes and what do you think are the most important things we can all do to keep live music thriving? DAN: When it comes to informing your music and style, more is more. Go see as many shows as you can, listen to as many records as you can, and talk to as many people as you can. Also, if it takes you a few years to figure things out, that’s okay. When we started, we were basically a Green Day cover band, then we experimented with ska for what feels like 20 minutes looking back on it. Now we’re here. So go easy on yourself. As for keeping live music thriving, you just have to go to the shows and support the people. I think it’s a better experience. Seeing really good bands in local music has kind of spoiled us; it sucks to sit a half-mile away from Black Sabbath when you’re used to seeing your favorite bands about three feet away from you Any other words of wisdom to share or anything that you would like fans to know? JAKE: Be an organ, eye, and tissue donor. Our drummer’s life have been saved twice by generous heart donors. Check the little box at the DMV—you never know who’s life you might save. Also, read a book.

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EP REVIEW

WRITTEN BY ROSE ESTRADA

THE GHOULIES Midnight In America W

hen one considers what makes a band work, a lot of people tend to underestimate the value of proper theming. Drowned under the voices yelling “it’s all about the music,” is a harsh reality that a lot of musicians experience way too late — that presentation and cohesion matter. Artists from Metallica to The Ramones to My Chemical Romance all showcase an understanding that how the music is crafted and presented is paramount to success. Elements need to come together to form a unified tone and theme for the band and, while this theme can be changed album to album, without some bridging stability the whole thing falls apart. It is clear that The Ghoulies understand that as well. Midnight in America is the latest release from the Denver-based punk band and from the very first song, one can craft a clear image of the band without taking a single look at any pictures or promotional materials. That image is one of Halloween. Every component of each song hosts a variety of strengths. The guitars riffs provided by Adam Moore and Jake Yergert, along with the further backing of Spencer Lovell on bass create very Ramones/Misfitsesque rhythms that are nothing short of hypnotizing. Added

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production shine moreso. Every song, goes into the next without losing momentum. Every instrument and vocal, while clearly recorded using modern equipment, could have just as easily been recorded decades ago, as the production creates the feel of classic punk music. The organ certainly helps in that regard but more than that is the commitment to a sound and identity. This is a sci-fi/horror punk band album that must be listened to in one sitting and it is wonderful.

to that is Connor Randall’s drumming, which regardless of tempo provides an energetic beat that is impossible not to dance or jump to. The soundscape is further enhanced by Dan Yergert on organ, who not only fills out the ambience with a distinctive creepy tone, but more often than not takes a leading spot on the songs as is the case in “Lust-Filled She-Demons of the Cold War”. To top it all off, there are Adam Moore’s vocals, an energetic delivery of melodies and shouts straight out of the 1970’s/1980’s punk scenes. And yet, for as much as each band member shines in this album, the theming and

Lastly, this album is fun, something that often goes uncommented on when reviewing music. Every song has a catchy hook or chorus, from the shouts in “Black Cadillac” to the chorus in “Hot Rods.” It would not be hard to picture crowds singing along at a concert or on karaoke night. The music is danceable, singable, and overall enjoyable. TLDR; Midnight in America by the Ghoulies is a fun enjoyable throwback to sci/fi/ horror punk that is as much fun to listen to as it is put together. Listen to it at your first opportunity.

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ALBUM REVIEW

REVIEW BY WILLIAM DIBBLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS FORMONT

KNIGHTMARE Walk Through The Fire T

he days of fast, blistering metal with gang vocals aren’t over. In a world full of death metal, metalcore, and endless blast beats, it can sometimes be hard to find new music that sounds like the peak of 80’s heavy metal. Knightmare is certainly evidence that while it may be rare, it’s not gone as they come tearing out of Raleigh, NC, singing about dragons and raging with solos. It’s as if the NWOBHM (new wave of british heavy metal) took a break… Then returned. Except Knightmare is American, not British. Knightmare explodes onto the music scene with their latest album, Walk Through the Fire. The intro immediately calls to mind dramatic band introductions. Crashing thunder and slow, melodic guitar solo are combined with

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“Each song on Walk Through The Fire is a labor of love, with the members of Knightmare pouring their souls into this band and this album.”

heavy, dramatic drums before fading away into a dual-guitar lead for the title track, “Walk Through the Fire”, two minutes in. The album

immediately calls to mind bands like Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Iron Maiden, and Dio. The high-pitched vocals are reminiscent of Tim “The Ripper” Owens, and it would not be out of place to draw parallels to his run in legendary Judas Priest. Fast chords, skilled vocals, and paired gang vocals on the line,

“Walk through the fire”, make this a highenergy earworm. The high production quality continues into “Banshee”, which is a bit lowerkey while still being fast and high-energy. It also demonstrates that Knightmare and Walk Through the Fire are really a love letter to 80’s heavy metal. And that is meant in the best possible way. Anybody who missed out on DethCadence last year has this album to look forward to this year. It would not be out of place to completely miss that we’re well into the 2010’s now with this resurgence. Much like their inspirations in the 80’s, Knightmare includes a lot of fantasy themes within their music. “Supermoon” opens with descriptions of a vivid night sky before launching into a slower, galloping song. While “Supermoon” is no speeding powerhouse like the first two songs on the album, it is not of any lower songwriting quality. It also marks a good midpoint for the album, feeling more like a power ballad, right down to the midsong guitar solo. And that’s something that bears a note in this album. The songs very much follow a verse-chorus-verse-chorussolo pattern, but that is quite alright. It’s the formula that was prevalent in heavy metal then, and works now. Knightmare puts it through its paces with unique and fun guitar solos that will burn into your memory as if the frets themselves were on fire. “Spirits” pulls us back from the ballad and back into the speedy riffs of the rest of the album, determined to give one hell of a second half to Walk Through the Fire. While the overall song structure is very formulaic, each song sounds unique. There is no repetition of riffs or vocal themes here. Each song on Walk Through The Fire is a labor of love, with the members of Knightmare pouring their souls into this band and this album.

as lights and fire burst out around them. It is perhaps thematically appropriate that “Lake of Rage” is followed by the album’s last song, “War Song”. “War Song” is the album’s longest song if you don’t include the opening intro as part of the title track. It gives the album a lengthy power-ballad sendoff. With a slow, rhythmic beat and a long melodic solo, it is a fantastic sendoff. The song isn’t done with you, though. After the first solo, you get more verse and chorus. Then one long, final outro solo that gives the album a send-off salute. If you are into heavy metal at all, and liked the

legends of yesterday, Knightmare brings back every bit of that sound and attitude in their album. Walk Through the Fire is an absolute blast to listen to, feeling like it walked right out of the 80’s. And the thing is, that could be a bad thing. But here, it’s not. The songs are masterfully written and performed, and the recording and production quality are spot-on. This is not an album to overlook. While Knightmare may not yet be selling out stadiums, they very much sound like they are on the road to do so. Buy their latest album today and enjoy the ride!

“Lake of Rage” makes a small break from the rest of the album, featuring a bass intro with drums instead of the guitar. While it is a galloping song like “Supermoon”, it is very much a more traditional heavy metal song, invoking mental images of a band on a stage FUEL THE SCENE MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW

KNIGHTMARE

After their album release show for Walk Through The Fire, we sat down to chat with Reid Rogers, guitarist and vocalist for Knightmare about the album’s musical and lyrical inspiration and the band’s journey to their sophomore release.

What would you say makes Walk Through The Fire stand out from your previous releases? What parts are you the most excited about?

we do live. We’d usually get two songs in one day and the next day, we’d do solos and vocals. So we’d have two full songs recorded in two days.

REID: What makes Walk Through the Fire stand out from our previous releases is first of all, the feeling and energy on this album. All four of us were very excited to get in the studio and crank this one out. We were working with a new producer in a new studio so the overall feeling was exciting from the get go. The quality of this album is about 1,000 times better than the last two albums as well.

As for our writing process, it’s always been kind of the same for us since the beginning. We always say the songs write themselves. Whether I have a riff or a harmony lick in my head or Anthony has a catchy chorus riff or vocal hook or an epic name for a song, it’s very much a group effort, the Knightmare song writing process. Everyone has a say in how a song gets written and arranged in this band and we’re all usually very happy with the finished product.

Can you tell us a little bit about the writing and studio recording process for Walk Through The Fire? REID: We recorded Walk Through the Fire at

Dogwood Studios in Wilmington, NC with Ian Millard. The experience was incredible. Ian was able to live track us where all four of us were in the same room, Spencer’s drum kit was mic’d, Anthony’s bass was DI and Jared’s and my guitar cabs were in a separate room. So we were all recording the rhythm parts together feeding off each other’s energy as 10

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What did you learn during the writing/ recording process for previous albums that changed or influenced the way you approached Walk Through The Fire? REID: We definitely learned during the

recording of Wolves of Retribution that we had to find a producer who would allow us some input and say in the mixing and how we want our album to sound. On Wolves of

Retribution we were allowed little to no say in the mixing process until the album was mixed and we didn’t like that at all. Not that we want to tell a producer how to do their job, but ultimately a band knows how they want to sound and on Walk Through the Fire, Ian did nothing but bring out the best in us. He knows his stuff and knows our style and we trusted him from the start. He had great ideas. Some ideas we wouldn’t have thought of on our own. And he let us sit in on a mixing session or two and kept us updated throughout the mixing and mastering. He was so easy to work with and as long as he feels the same about us, I think he will be the producer we get to do future albums How do you feel that your overall sound has changed since the last album, Wolves of Retribution? REID: Well we have over the last year or so

gone from calling ourselves a metal band to a power rock band. Though we’re labled a power metal band and we own that, a lot of our newest music is almost like video game,

INTERVIEW BY REI HAYCRAFT PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS FORMONT

upbeat music that you cant help but raise your fists high and smile when you hear it. Haha. I feel like our sound changes with every album, but its still got the Knightmare sound and it always will Where do you draw inspiration from for such epic songwriting and lyrics? REID: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and pretty much anything Tolkein has written, Star Wars, Outer Space, Mad Max, The Legend of Zelda and various other books, movies and video games we love. Haha

What are some of the band’s overall influences and are there any influences specific to this record, musical, media, or otherwise? REID: Musical influences for this record were definitely bands like Thin Lizzy and Riot. All four of us were heavily listening to those bands during the writing and recording of this album. And as always, bands like Iron Maiden are always and influence. Also Queen, Boston and The Eagles were big influences vocally for this album as we really made use of the four part vocal harmonies

REID: The first song written was the title track, Walk Through the Fire. A riff in that song was actually written by our original drummer, Justin Travis during the early days of Knightmare. And I had ideas for The Banshee and War Song years ago while we were working on the second album, but nothing became of them until this album

What’s next on the horizon for Knightmare? REID: Well we already have plans to get back

in the studio later this year. We’ve already got some new material written so our plan is hopefully to start recording some songs this summer. We’d like to do a US tour either this year or next year as well as hit Canada and by 2020, we’re hoping to get to Europe. With Spencer Hughes joining on drums a few years ago, we’re tighter than we’ve ever been. So as long as the songs keep coming, we plan to keep going and go everywhere we can! What advice would you have for other bands starting out in their own local scenes and what do you think are the most important things we can all do to keep live music thriving?

REID: My advice to bands starting out is to have all the attitude you want on the stage, but the second the show is over, leave the attitude on the stage. Don’t carry the “rock star” ego around with you. People loving what you do and your music is a drug that’s easy to get addicted to, but you have to stay humble and remember that without fans and other bands who support you, you’d get nowhere.

I think the most important thing we can do to keep live music scenes thriving is to always be accepting of bands who wanna play in the scene. Doesn’t matter if they aren’t from your town or aren’t exactly the same style as you. That’s how you grow a music scene and keep it thriving, in my opinion. Any other words of wisdom to share or anything that you would like fans to know? REID: I just wanna say thank you to all of our fans who have supported Knightmare over the last nine years . We’d be nothing without each and every one of you, so thank you for all you have done. You all rule and we’ll see you in outer space!

Are there any songs that didn’t make the cut for the record? If so, might those resurface in later records? REID: The only song I can think of is one that

also didn’t make the cut of the second album. Haha. It’s a ballad/anthem song Anthony and I wrote probably six years ago called All Who Rise. Will it ever make it on a record? Who knows. Maybe there will be room for it on record number four For each of you, is there a single song that stands out as your favorite, either to play live or in general? REID: For me, the song that really stands out

is Supermoon. Its got a lot of groove and mood to it. Im a huge fan of ambient, spacy music, so I love when we slow it down and get to the clean guitar and keyboard part that builds up into the solo and outro. I just remember us recording it and all four of us had smiles the whole time listening to it. Which song was the first that was written for this album?

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EP REVIEW

REVIEW BY SAVANAH RUIZ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SECOND DEATH

SECOND DEATH S

Substance tackles a multitude of themes such as hell, demons, inner turmoil, and really encompasses the frustration and hostility of this band. Guttural harsh vocals mixed with a heavy instrumental allow for a truly immersive listening experience that sticks in your head and leaves you craving more.

econd Death have showcased their resurrection as a new band with their aggressive new release, Substance. Substance starts with the intro track “Release”, an instrumental song that starts off with an eerie sound and progressively gets heavier, setting the stage for this EP. This EP is their second release since killing off their previous band name, Beware the Neverending, and re-emerging as Second Death. Their previous release, Casket, introduced the band’s new life as Second Death, but Substance brings the band to a new level as they continue to evolve their heavy sound.

Through this reincarnation, Second Death provides listeners with an intense and heavy experience that moshers and headbangers can blast through their sound systems and really immerse themselves in the world that Second Death has created with Substance. 12

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Substance

This EP dives into Second Death’s dark and gritty world view with songs such as “God Money” and “Surface”, as well as the title track “Substance”, which features Ben Revell. To quote the EP, this band is “filled with hate” and it shows through this truly angry and powerful set of songs.

This EP really includes views that any metal core fan can relate to such as being outcasted and considered sick because of their feelings. Through this album, you can really channel your feelings of rage and angst. This Georgia band definitely proves that “death is only the beginning” for them as they continue to show the world that they are reborn and ready to take on the metal scene. You can find the Substance EP on Spotify, Bandcamp, and iTunes.

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INTERVIEW

IN THIS MOMENT

Rei Haycraft got a chance to chat with Chris Howorth, Travis Johnson, and Randy Weitzel of In This Moment after their set at Louder Than Life 2017 about their new album, “Ritual,” music video inspiration, and the evolution of their live set.

Rei Haycraft here with In This Moment at Louder Than Life 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky! How are you guys doing so far? TRAVIS: Fantastic. CHRIS: Awesome. RANDY: Pretty good.

For those who are unfamiliar—shame on them—can you introduce yourselves and what you play in In This Moment? TRAVIS: Absolutely. I’m Travis Johnson, bass

player. CHRIS: Chris, I play guitar. RANDY: I’m Randy, I also play guitar.

Now you all are going on stage in a little over two hours—what do you all do the rest of the day when you’re preparing? You do press, but what else? Do you get to catch any sets, or are you pretty booked? TRAVIS: As much as possible, yeah. Matter of

fact, I saw a band called 86 today, they were awesome. CHRIS: You already saw a band today? Wow. I 14

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don’t do anything. I just try to not do anything until we play, but days like this, things like this, you kind of have to get up early and get ready and go hang out. TRAVIS: Oh, and they’re actually called ‘68, not ‘86, by the way. I just asked. RANDY: I pretty much just sleep all day. So you all have been on the road constantly promoting the new album, Ritual. What has the reception been thus far for, any of these festivals, for the new music? CHRIS: The reception’s been overwhelmingly good all across the board. It’s kind of weird now. Because album sales are so different with streams and everything, you don’t really notice it, except for on the live front you see the people showing up and singing the songs, and you know that they’re getting it and hearing it. Otherwise it’s hard to tell. TRAVIS: Absolutely. RANDY: Yeah, when we play a song for the first time, people are just sort of staring at you. But as tours go by, they start to get to

know the lyrics and it livens up a little bit, so I think it’s gone pretty good. TRAVIS: Especially before we tour, it’s out for a little while while we’re home, and then you go out and see how it’s really received. It’s cool. This summer we saw you at Rockville, and got to photograph your set and at that point, it hadn’t hit yet. You were playing a couple songs off of it though, weren’t you? CHRIS: We were playing like three songs. Maria always wants to just load the set up with new stuff every time we do something new. They don’t know what’s going on, so it’s kind of like that double-edged sword where you wanna play new stuff, you gotta play the old stuff that you know they like. But they also don’t know the stuff, so they’re like ... yeah, we call it the deer in the headlights look. And we know over the years, it’s not just ‘cause they don’t like us, it’s ‘cause they’re watching and processing and they don’t really know what to make of it yet, you know what I mean?

INTERVIEW BY REI HAYCRAFT AND KRISTY STREYLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY CAROTA

Oh yeah. And there’s a lot going on in your sets. You’re one of my favorite bands to photograph, because you all are so energetic and passionate, and lay everything out on the stage, and I think that fans really respond to that. CHRIS: This guy! Thank you.

Which song off the album do you feel like is resonating with fans the most right now? CHRIS: I would say of the new songs, “Roots” is like, I don’t know. Something about that song, you can just see the crowd getting into it right when we start playing it.

You’ve described this album before as being a little more bluesy. Can you talk a little bit about that? TRAVIS: Definitely bluesy. Swampy. CHRIS: Swampy. These are all Maria

keywords. Swampy, bluesy. RANDY: Dark. CHRIS: Religious, dark. Yeah. It was just kind of the feeling that she wanted to add into the whole thing. You know, obviously “Oh Lord” has got kind of a bluesy feel. We’re far from bluesy, but it does have that vibe. RANDY: I’d say swampy. Swampy, New Orleans kind of vibe. CHRIS: Yeah, witch doctor.

I think I heard that description before I had heard anything from Ritual. And of course you hear that for the first time, you’re like “In This Moment/Blues?” I think it piques people’s interest a little bit, and they want to hear what is gonna happen. CHRIS: They’re like, “What’s going on?!” Yeah, we kind of have that reputation for not always doing the same thing. If we do an album everybody likes, we don’t just do another one exactly like it. Some people like it, some people hate that. But it’s always something different with us.

Andthenthe“OhLord,”musicvideoisgorgeous. Absolutely beautiful cinematography. What has the reception been for that, and what was that process like? TRAVIS: Really well reception on that, for sure. Process was painless and awesome, actually. We did it in Nashville. Just so cool. CHRIS: It’s like, you find a good location, and Maria has ideas for how to visually, she wants it to kind of look. And then we just start shooting a bunch of stuff, and paste it all together.

How is performing in a music video different for you all? CHRIS: Videos are weird, I think. You’re kind of

forced to rock out with no stimulation from the crowd. It’s almost like the crew people are all watching you, and it’s definitely a different vibe. We’ve done a lot of different kinds of videos, we’ve done videos where we’re all together playing and we’ve done videos where we’re individually playing by ourselves. It’s definitely a weird scenario when you do a video, it’s not normal. TRAVIS: Yeah, especially solo shots. It’s like, “Alright, go!” And everybody’s just standing there eating a sandwich or something... and you just gotta go for it. RANDY: I think if we’re playing a song live for a while on tour and then we decide to shoot a video for it, it seems to be a lot more smooth for some reason. But if the album’s just released, and we gotta do this video, we’re not sure exactly how we feel about it yet. TRAVIS: Yeah, that’s very true. RANDY: Yeah, it is true. That’s why I said it. Are there any songs off the album that that have evolved as you’ve been playing them live? RANDY: That’s a good question. Chris Howorth! CHRIS: You know what it is? We write stuff in

the studio, and we’re always thinking about the vocal and how to make the vocals stand out the most, and not really worrying about

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INTERVIEW as much guitar. We want the guitar to be there and everything, but not really focusing on that as much. But when we play live, we sit down and we’re like “Okay, we’re gonna play these songs live.” We always add like little licks and things in there that are not on the album. So for us it’s really cool, ‘cause we get to kind of like metal it up even more. All of the new songs that we’re playing live have additional guitar parts and things like that. TRAVIS: You know, like playing it differently two times through, instead of playing the same thing for four repeats. CHRIS: Yeah, always make it a little more interesting, little extra chugs and stuff. And do you ever maybe change a song, depending on the reaction you’re getting from fans, or kind of the feel that you’re getting from live shows? CHRIS: Absolutely. And if it’s a good song, Maria likes to have parts where we stop and just groove for a little while or something, and

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INTERVIEW BY REI HAYCRAFT AND KRISTY STREYLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY CAROTA

crowd participation type stuff. She’s always talking about doing that. Now, after this, you all are going out for more touring, touring, touring. What else is on the horizon that fans can look forward to? CHRIS: Well, we shot two videos that are gonna be coming out staggered or whatever, but there should be a new one out I’d say in the next month or so. Touring through the end of the year, almost, and then we’re doing ShipRocked next year in January. We’re gonna be touring around that a little bit. What else? RANDY: I don’t know, but I agree with everything you just said. I think ... I don’t know what I’m saying.

So keep your eyes on In This Moment, there will be many things happening including two videos and many other secrets that they won’t tell us. CHRIS: Dark secrets! We are doing something

special on this tour. We have an LA show, but

around the LA show there’s a special awards show thing that’s happening that we’re gonna be performing at with a special guest “metal god.” I like the quotes here. CHRIS: “Metal god.” Special guest. Yeah, nobody knows that yet. TRAVIS: Okay. “Metal god.” Okay.

Duly noted! Are there any other words of wisdom you would like to share with your fans at home? TRAVIS: Coffee is very important, and drink it. CHRIS: Stay in school. Don’t do drugs. RANDY: I have no advice for anyone. Sorry. CHRIS: DUIs are bad. TRAVIS: Yeah. What he said. CHRIS: Public service announcement from In

This Moment. Thank you all so much for taking time with us! CHRIS: Thank you for having us!

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SHOW REVIEW

REVIEW BY REI HAYCRAFT PHOTOGRAPHY BY TERIE SHAVER

WINTER METALFEST At The Fillmore Underground in Charlotte, NC

ARBORLEA Charlotte-born melodic hardcore band Arborlea set the explosive, energetic tone for the 600 eager metal fans that packed The Fillmore. Breakdowns and heavy riffs kept fansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; energy up and began the crowdsurfing and headbanging that continued for the rest of the night. www.arborleaofficial.com facebook.com/Arborleaband instagram.com/arborlea_nc arborlea.bandcamp.com

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KAIROS. Kairos. burst on to The Underground stage, blowing the crowd away with their unstoppable energy. Relentless aggression one moment and static tranquility the next work in concert to bring the concept story to life, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats. www.kairos.band facebook.com/kairosband12 instagram.com/kairos_band kairosband.bandcamp.com

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BLACK RITUAL Scene veterans Black Ritual brought their death-core-centric blend of thrash and hardcore to The Underground. With ten years of stage experience, Black Ritual left no dull moments on the stage and left the audience ready for more. www.blackritualband.com facebook.com/blackritual instagram.com/black_ritual blackritual.bandcamp.com

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SOMETHING CLEVER Charlotte’s own Something Clever is no novice to playing a packed house at The Fillmore and knew exactly how to give the crowd the intense, energetic set they hoped for, including surprising the audience with not one but two covers, “Come And Get It” by I Prevail and “My Curse” by Killswitch Engage. www.somethingcleverband.com facebook.com/somethingclever00 instagram.com/somethingcleverband somethingcleverband.bandcamp.com

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VIOLENT LIFE VIOLENT DEATH Violent Life Violent Death is easily one of the hardest working, heaviest hitting bands in the Charlotte area, seeming right at home on The Fillmoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stage as they gave their all from the first song to the last. facebook.com/violentlifeviolentdeath instagram.com/violentlifeviolentdeath violentlifeviolentdeath.bandcamp.com

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SHOW REVIEW

WINTER METALFEST AT THE FILLMORE UNDERGROUND PHOTOGRAPHY BY TERIE SHAVER

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ALBUM REVIEW

REVIEW BY SAVANAH RUIZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY SANJAY PARIKH MEDIA

ASKING ALEXANDRIA Self-Titled A

sking Alexandria has marked the return of their beloved vocalist with their self-titled LP, Asking Alexandria. This album features a different side of Asking Alexandria, but still holds the roots that made them a force to be reckoned with when they started.

Asking Alexandria has always used an array of imagery in their lyrics, and this record is no different with songs like opening track “Alone in a Room” and “Where Did It Go?”, a “tongue-in-cheek” track, as Danny Worsnop puts it, which takes aim at people trying to take Asking Alexandria’s spot in the music scene.

Asking Alexandria is the first record to feature original vocalist Danny Worsnop since their 2013 release, From Death to Destiny, and this album clearly shows that ties within the band are stronger than ever. “Into the Fire”, the first single off the LP, showed major promise for the record with 13 million views and counting, 2 million of which were gained within the first two weeks of its release. This track is about accepting the dark parts of yourself, and really set the tone of this reflective album. Through this album, Asking Alexandria is putting all their cards on the table, taking on themes of loneliness, fear, and raw anger. Asking Alexandria is full of emotion, and the sincerity of the lyrics meshed with the talented instrumentals make for an LP that shows Asking Alexandria’s true and unfiltered colors.

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“Empire” features a different sound with the introduction of Bingx on the track. This song as well as “Rise Up” are all about reclaiming the Asking Alexandria name and creating something that’s better than before. For this record, Asking Alexandria decided to work with their close friend, Matt Good, known for his band From First To Last, and this decision proves to be a successful one from the overall sound of the album. This record also shows a clear evolution from their 2016 release, The Black, which was the only Asking Alexandria record to feature Ukrainian vocalist Denis Stoff. While The Black featured a new sound, it lacked a certain rawness to it that instead can be found on their new LP.

Throughout this album, it is shown that Asking Alexandria is back, stronger, and ready to solidify their spot in the alternative music scene. Asking Alexandria was on tour with Black Veil Brides for the Resurrection tour until the beginning of March and have extended the tour by adding April and May dates. Also, Asking Alexandria’s Ben Bruce can be seen in Sumerian film’s recent release, American Satan. Asking Alexandria is available from music retailers everywhere!

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ALBUM REVIEW

REVIEW BY JOSH FOSTER PHOTOS COURTESY OF IMPERSONA

IMPERSONA I

track. Guitar is the primary driver for most of the tracks, but they make room to showcase the bass frequently as well.

n a musical climate that offers little space for truly creative ventures, It takes immense courage to release an instrumental EP. Even the best instrumental albums seem destined to end up as overhead grocery store music or in the background of a traffic report on FM radio. Impersona—a talented three-piece consisting of Brett Nooe (guitar), Joey Griffith (bass), and Zach Youngblood (drums)— deserves credit for having the creative faith and vision to create their 6 track instrumental EP, Dysphoria. Dysphoria is an atmospheric and moody collection that does a good job of conveying the unease and melancholy they are aiming for. Though there are several moments showcasing the musicianship of the

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Dysphoria Things get started with “Celestial.” After the initial melody it falls into a nice groove. Nooe offers up some elegant guitar work in the second half with a brief spotlight for the bass towards the end. “Celestial” establishes the guitar sound for the album, though the complexity of the melodies and transitions feels a bit forced.

members, it doesn’t hit you over the head with their virtuosity. The songs serve much more as themes that are explored on each

Dyphoria’s second track, “Chiari,” is distinctly darker than “Celestial” with grooves that fall together nicely, showcasing the strength of the band as the tone shifts in a lighter and more joyful direction.

Though the first two tracks seemed disjointed at times, Impersona really finds its voice with the final four tracks, beginning with “Currents.” Immediately, the rhythm section becomes the driver or the song with the guitar carrying the melody while bass and drums take a more traditional role. Adding diversity to the song, Griffith supplies a tasteful bass solo in the latter part of the tune. “Fusion” is perhaps the best track on the entire record. Funky and fast, “Fusion” is a well arranged ride through multiple guitar and bass runs layered in with alternating solos. Nooe and Griffith step into the spotlight here, and Impersona exhibits their strength and versatility. While they maneuver through a number of simultaneous runs, they still find the space to highlight each instrument individually. They even find time to drop into a lounge style groove in the middle of everything else. All of the complexity that

at times seemed out of place on the earlier tracks feels right at home here and emerges as a strong highlight of the record.

progressive rock solo. The lack of distortion and traditional rock elements elsewhere makes this one stand out as a closer.

Shifting moods again, “Paradox” has a very futuristic feel achieved more through the guitar work than the easiest path of layering several synthetic noises on top. Again, the strength of the band is shown in their ability to lock into an emotional mid-tempo groove. Griffith does some impressive bass work on this one, offering up slapping and popping that does a remarkable job of maintaining the futuristic feel; while not eliciting thoughts of a 70’s funk band or the theme song to Seinfield.

Dysphoria is a thoughtful and gutsy collection to release in a scene dominated by detuned guitars and blast beats, and that is reason alone to give this moody, creative record a listen. Impersona has crafted a solid and enjoyable experience with nods to several genres that stands on its own merit. If you are a fan of instrumental music, Dysphoria is definitely worth adding to your collection.

“Ven” closes out the EP on a strong note. The tone stays dark and moody, delivering a gritty close to the EP that showcases a different feel from the other songs. Though the other tracks feature little to no distortion, but abandons the jazzy sound that defines the rest of Dysphoria and hands us an enjoyable

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INTERVIEW

COURAGE MY LOVE

Rei Haycraft got a chance to chat with Mercedes Arn-Horn, vocalist and guitarist for Courage My Love after their set at Warped Tour ‘17 in Charlotte, NC about their new record, touring internationally, musical evolution, and artistic inspiration.

Warped Tour—Rei Haycraft here with Mercedes Arn-Horn of Courage My Love. Mercedes, how has your Warped been so far? MERCEDES: It’s been great, so far. Like, a lot of adventures and stuff like that. But it’s just starting at the same time, so we’ve got a lot more tour left. The set today was really good. It was really hot, so we still had a ton of sun at that point. Crowd was into it. We don’t get to come through here as often as I’d like, so it’s really great to kinda hang out with the fans that we haven’t seen in a couple years and stuff. It was good vibes, for sure! So you all just dropped a new album, “Synesthesia,” a couple months ago—how much of that are you able to play during such short festival set? MERCEDES: We’re playing a lot of new stuff on this tour, just ‘cause the sets are a little shorter than normal, but we still throw some oldies in there, ‘cause people who haven’t seen us for a while might wanna hear some of those songs too. But it’s mostly new stuff. 28

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So, it’s fun for us to get to do that. What’s the reaction been so far to Synesthesia? MERCEDES: I get confused sometimes ‘cause it was February, and then it just came out in Europe in May, so we’re like, “Uh, I don’t know.” But it’s been good. It’s already opened some doors for us in terms of tours and stuff that we get to do, which is great. I think the fans are relating a lot to these songs that we just wrote, they’re a little more personal. I mean, at least for me that’s how I feel, they’re kind of personal, and we dug a little deeper for these lyrics and stuff, and I think it paid off in the sense that a lot of other people can relate to them as well. So I’ve had some great conversations about that sort of stuff. So musically, you’ve talked a little bit about how it’s a little more eclectic, and you all have explored and felt your way around. Tell me a little bit about that—the evolution that’s come with this album. MERCEDES: Sure. Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely

different from what we would normally do, and I think that’s a good thing. We took a lot of time to write this album, in the studio, sort of fixing songs, and kind of re-recording them a bunch of times. And we just wanted to release something really solid, that we were proud of. And we wanted to be outside of the box, we didn’t wanna kind of release the same type of music over and over. So yeah, we were a little nervous before it came out, ‘cause it’s kind of risky, we weren’t sure if everyone was gonna dig it or not, but I think the risk paid off, and I’m really proud of the songs, for sure. So musically you were kind of feeling out the possibilities and lyrically, this seems incredibly personal and felt like you were digging into a place that you all were discovering along with the audience. MERCEDES: Yeah, for sure. That’s a great way to put it actually. Yeah, I think the reason that this album maybe feels a little different is ‘cause the three of us, in our personal lives, were all going through really rough time when

INTERVIEW BY REI HAYCRAFT AND DIVUS MOSS PHOTOGRAPHY BY TERIE SHAVER

we wrote it. And it lasted for like a year, we were all just super depressed and really down, and you know, that’s when you write your best stuff. I’m kinda happy that it worked out that way, because I always feel way more creative when I’m down in the dumps, or when I’m feeling sad. For whatever reason I think it just brings everything closer to the surface. So it had its silver lining at the end of the day, and I think the album came out sounding ... you can hear each of our personalities on it a little bit. What song would you say is the one you’re most emotionally tied to at this moment? MERCEDES: Right now, I think maybe “Need Someone” is the one that I feel really drawn to. We just release a music video for it. Which is gorgeous. MERCEDES: Thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, it was kind of intense to film, because normally, with all our videos, we have a concept that’s very sort of artsy, or we have some sort of, I don’t know, something cool to look at. But with this one it’s just our faces, nothing else. And so, we were kinda like, “Ugh, I hope it looks good.” But I’m really proud of it at the end of the day, ‘cause like we’ve been

talking about, the emotions were just really close to the surface. So I’m really proud of that song, for sure. How do you translate such a musically powerful piece into a visual medium? Is that something you all have a lot of control over, or do you kinda hand it off to a director to interpret? MERCEDES: Like, in the past we would just sort of be like, “Well let’s see what the director says.” But for this album, we’ve been a lot more hands-on with sort of the concepts and the videos, and everything like that. Because we really wanted everything to tie together, and, you know, I designed the album art— well, I didn’t actually make the album art, but I designed the concept for it. And we came up with the concept for both videos so far, and I just think, with this one, it came a lot easier, because as we were writing the songs, we sort of had this imagery in our heads already. And that’s another reason why we called the album Synesthesia, because it’s a very visual, but also musical and I think it ties that whole analogy together pretty well. Even the music video you’re talking about, “Need Somebody,” is a colorful interpretation of what I would imagine it would look like.

MERCEDES: Yeah, for sure. It’s kind of a bold name, and we want at least the art, or the visuals for it, to do the name justice, and it all has to tie together at the end of the day to become one piece of work. So we were very conscious of that, and we’re releasing a new video pretty soon that I’m really excited for. Can you tell us some secrets? MERCEDES: Yeah, I can tell you that we filmed it in Paris, on our last tour, so that already I’m really excited for, ‘cause up until now all our videos we filmed in Canada, so I think it has a little bit of a different vibe. And it’s sort of creepy, like horror based, which is sick, ‘cause that’s my jam. Love horror movies and stuff. So, yeah, it’s awesome. That’s pretty much it though, I’m not gonna give away too much more. Tell us a story. Something awesome that’s happened on your last tour, or this tour. MERCEDES: Well, I mean, the European tour was great. It was our second time being there, so we’d already made a couple friends over there, and seen some cool sights. We did most of the tourist-y stuff on our first tour over there, like the Eiffel tower and stuff like that—you gotta do it. I was just so excited,

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INTERVIEW and there was so many people around, we finally got our opening and Phoenix and I were just like, “Yeah!” We didn’t really plan it out too well. But this time around we got to see a little bit more of the real UK, and the real parts of Europe, like small hole in the wall restaurants and stuff like that. And I think I got a really, kinda gritty experience, which is nice. We had a couple days off in Italy, where we were just exploring really late at night, so the streets were completely empty, and it just had a really cool vibe. I would love to go back and just try and write a song, or film a video there or something, it would be great. But, it was just a really artsy, cool vibe. I liked it. That brings me to another observation about you all—everything you put out feels like a cohesive piece of art. something all encompassing, with influence from major artists, like Escher— MERCEDES: Yeah, he inspired a piece of work that is two heads, a man and a woman, and

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INTERVIEW BY REI HAYCRAFT AND DIVUS MOSS PHOTOGRAPHY BY TERIE SHAVER

they’re looking towards each other. That piece inspired me for the cover of Synesthesia. I mean, I don’t wanna say I ripped it off, but it’s heavily inspired by that art piece. And so instead I just decided it would be cooler if the faces were Phoenix and my faces, but we wanted to white out the eyes, just ‘cause we didn’t want it to be too recognizable. We wanted our fans to sort of see just a generic female, but if we’re gonna have female faces it may as well be our faces I guess. [laughs] It might as well be the two females in the band, whatever. Like you do. MERCEDES: Yeah, you know. Especially this time around, we’re very into the artistic side of it, and the visual side of it. And I’m glad that you described it as cohesive piece of art, ‘cause that’s how I feel about it, but it feels kind of pretentious to be like, “It’s a big art piece.” But I’m really glad that it comes off that way.

So are there any other words of wisdom you would like to impart upon our fans? MERCEDES: Yeah. I just wanna say, if you’re watching this right now you’re obviously very passionate about music, and you’re keeping the music industry alive, and that’s very important at a time like right now. I definitely think that art is something that unites and keeps everyone together. Something we can all relate to as a species on this planet. So, thank you for doing that. And if you’re an artist, or if you have anything that you wanna put out into the world, just do it. Do it. And don’t let your dreams be dreams. You know, you get out of life what you put into it, so just put in as much as you possibly can. Thank you so much for taking time with us! MERCEDES: Thank you! Thank you Warped Tour, thank you Charlotte, thank you!

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SHOW REVIEW

REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNOR SCHLOSSER

REASON|DEFINE, RAVINER, VIOLENT LIFE VIOLENT DEATH, & DEN OF WOLVES At The World Famous Milestone in Charlotte, NC

DEN OF WOLVES Charlotte-born alt-metal outfit Den of Wolves kicked off the night with their usual explosive energy and presence in their performance. They are extremely impressive for a three-piece is and are definitely headed in the right direction. facebook.com/denofwolvesmusic instagram.com/denofwolvesband twitter.com/denofwolvesband

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RAVINER Nashville, TNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Raviner blends the nuanced composition of pop and singersongwriter music with the power and dynamics of hard rock, seamlessly shifting from powerful intensity to quiet, careful stillness, and back again. www.raviner.com facebook.com/ravinerband instagram.com/ravinerband ravinerband.bandcamp.com

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SHOW REVIEW

REASON | DEFINE, RAVINER, VIOLENT LIFE VIOLENT DEATH, & DEN OF WOLVES

VIOLENT LIFE VIOLENT DEATH No matter the crowd, Charlotte metalcore band, Violent Life Violent Death, give their all to every performance. Their music is gritty, high-energy and intense, which kicked the show up in a huge way. facebook.com/violentlifeviolentdeath instagram.com/violentlifeviolentdeath violentlifeviolentdeath.bandcamp.com

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REASON | DEFINE Reason | Define, all girl hard rock band from Charlotte, pulls from alt rock, pop punk, and metal to create a powerful, energetic show that keeps the crowd coming back for more. www.reasondefine.com facebook.com/reasondefine instagram.com/reasondefine reasondefine.bandcamp.com

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FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2018

elcome To Rockville, Florida’s Biggest Rock Experience, grows to three days in 2018 with Foo Fighters, Ozzy Osbourne, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age, Stone Temple Pilots, Billy Idol, Godsmack, Stone Sour, and Five Finger Death Punch leading an incredible talent lineup not seen at any other U.S. rock festival. Other additions to this unprecedented rock experience—created by Jacksonville native Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer Presents— include Toothgrinder (Friday), He Is Legend (Saturday), and Wolf Alice (Sunday).

Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville tickets, VIP packages, as well as hotel and camping options are on sale now. Discounted online hotel rates are also available through Curadora. Visit:www.WelcomeToRockvilleFestival.com for details. Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville kicks off the annual World’s Loudest Month festival series and will also feature a variety of onsite experiences, including the Monster Energy Experience (featuring Monster Energy tastings and signings with select Rockville artists), The Music Experience (an interactive exhibit and musical instrument retailer), F.Y.E. Fan Experience (purchase your favorite album and get it signed by

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select Rockville artists), Zippo, and Take Me Home nonprofit animal rescue organization, among others. Attendees will enjoy local and regional food favorites in the Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville “Grub” zone, while fans 21+ can wash down Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville’s over-the-top food offerings with a variety of beverages, including selections from the Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards Wine Garden (owned by Arizona resident Maynard James Keenan, cofounder of international recording acts TOOL, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer), Heavy Tiki Bar (an oasis filled with killer cocktails and shade), and local craft beer. Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville is fueled by Monster Energy. Additional 2018 sponsors include: The Music Experience, F.Y.E., Zippo, and more to be announced. Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, a producer of some of the biggest rock festivals in America, including Rock On The Range, Monster Energy Aftershock, Louder Than Life, Monster Energy Fort Rock, Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, Chicago Open Air,

Bourbon & Beyond, Monster Energy Rock Allegiance, Northern Invasion and more. Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville kicks off the annual World’s Loudest Month festival series. For more information on Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville, visit: www.WelcomeToRockvilleFestival.com www.facebook.com/welcometorockville Twitter: @RockvilleFest Instagram: @welcometorockville