The “Heritage Hunter Tour” dates revealed…finally!
So this rumored Mastodon/Opeth/Ghost tour has been all over the internet for two or so weeks now, and finally, finally we have dates to confirm everyone’s sources. The “Heritage Hunter” tour will begin in April, So yet again, another ridiculously awesome tour this Spring. Mastodon and Opeth will be trading the headlining/closing slot throughout the tour. Check out the dates below:
4/04 – Portland, ME @ State Theater (Mastodon)
4/05 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theater (Opeth)
4/06 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis (Opeth)
4/07 – Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre (Opeth)
4/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory(Mastodon)
4/10 – Wallingford, CT @ The Dome (Mastodon)
4/11 – New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom (Mastodon)
4/13 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre (Mastodon)
4/14 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection (Mastodon)
4/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE (Mastodon)
4/16 – Knoxville, TN @ TN Theater (Opeth)
4/18 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom (Mastodon)
4/19 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom (Opeth)
4/20 – San Antonio, TX @ Back Stage Live (Opeth)
4/21 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street (Opeth)
4/23 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium (Opeth)
4/25 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues (Mastodon)
4/26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre (Opeth)
4/27 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre (Opeth)
4/28 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort (Mastodon)
4/30 – Seattle, WA @ The Paramount (Opeth)
5/01 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre (Opeth)
5/03 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Center (Opeth)
5/04 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall (Mastodon)
5/05 – Saskatoon, SK @ The Odeon (Opeth)
5/06 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre (Opeth)
5/09 – Washington, DC @ The Fillmore (Opeth)
5/10 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore (Mastodon)
5/11 – Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues (Mastodon)
5/12 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Music Park (Mastodon)
Tickets go on sale this weekend, and Thursday through a number of pre-sale vendors.
-Chris
Mastodon release video for “Dry Bone Valley”
Boing Boing Video have premiered the music video for Mastodon’s “Dry Bone Valley” which can be viewed below. The video was produced and animated by Tim Biskup. This was the track the band opened with on their recent headlining trek in support of The Hunter, and is probably enjoyed best with your favorite recreational drug.
The rumors of a Mastodon, Opeth, and Ghost tour appear to be true as Mastodon’s Troy Sanders confirmed it on a radio interview last week. No dates have been announced but HOLY HELL! What a line-up! We will definitely let you know when those dates are announced!
-Chris
Chris’ Favorite Concerts of the Year
This was a huge year for shows. The Big Four played stateside, Metallica just finished up their 30th Anniversary shows, Judas Priest are embarking on their last World Tour, and dozens of bands joined forces in dozens of tours this year. I’ve been going to shows now for a little over 12 years, and I’ve easily been to more shows this year than ever before. While I didn’t get to go to any of the heavily advertised, big money, destination shows, there were plenty of performances that I won’t forget anytime soon. Here are my top three shows from this year.
1- Amon Amarth – “An Evening with Amon Amarth” Pretty self explanatory. It’s one thing seeing your favorite band. It’s another thing seeing them play for over two hours in a sold-out venue. The line to get in wrapped ¾ of the way around the block. I then realized Amon Amarth weren’t just “my” band anymore.
2- Eluveitie/Holy Grail – My first real live folk-metal experience. From Holy Grail shredding the place to pieces, to the whiskey shots, to the beers, and then to Eluveitie attempting to fit all their members on that tiny ass stage. Sold out, very intimate, people dancing jigs in the mosh pit; a damn good time.
3- Mastodon/The Dillinger Escape Plan – Dillinger tore it up. They sounded great, I had Greg Puciato screaming six feet in front of me while he was crowd surfing. Mastodon played twenty-one songs! Played just about everything I could have asked them to, including my favorite tracks from The Hunter. It was awesome to see them in a smaller venue.
And one more video for the year from me!
Video courtesy of superskum. Check out their youtube channel for all kinds of awesome stuff!
-Chris
Mastodon and Dillinger Escape Plan: Live in Denver
I can’t believe this show was over a month ago! Prior to this show I had seen Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Red Fang once each. Red Fang wasn’t really my thing at this summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, DEP amazed/made me fear for my life at a show in Fort Collins back when I was still in college, and Mastodon were seen from the 30-ish row at Red Rocks opening for Alice in Chains. When I realized this tour was coming I jumped at the chance to buy tickets. Being able to see a band like Mastodon in a smaller venue was something I HAD TO DO!
Red Fang opened up the show, and were much better than I remember them at the Mayhemfest. I’ve never really been into the stoner metal sound. The slower, sludgy repetitiveness just doesn’t do much for me, not to mention I don’t smoke weed, so I’m shit out of luck with this category of music. The band sounded great though, and the crowd seemed to enjoy them.
The Dillinger Escape Plan were up next, opening with “Farewell, Mona lisa” the band tore through a set with just as much (if not more) energy than they had when I saw them in 2005. While the band were a little less destructive than the Fort Collins show, they definitely made things interesting. Between the monitor kicking, the 6 foot speaker jumps, and the spastic movements from all the band members, they sure are a fun band to watch. Guitarist Ben Weinman broke a string on his guitar and was having issues with his backup guitar not available, and still managed to finish the entire song without missing a beat. It’s little things like that, that get me amped up and make me love metal so much!
Mastodon were up to close the night. This was the first tour for the band’s newest album The Hunter, and they put on a hell of a show. They opened with “Dry Bone Valley” and were all business through their 21-song-set. The band did a great job blending in newer material with all of the classics people expected to hear. Check out the set list HERE. A lot of people gave the band crap for not being able to vocals off live, but after seeing them twice now, I think those days are over. All of the guys sounded stellar on vocals, and their musical performances were even better. It was awesome to see a band as big as they are up close and in a more intimate setting. While the Ogden isn’t the smallest venue around, the band would have no problem selling out larger venues around the city, so seeing them here was really cool. While this tour is over, I’m sure they will be back again. Hopefully that was the first of many Mastodon headlining shows I get to see.
Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic! Small potatoes!
-Chris
Chris’ Best of 2011: The Not Quite Top 10
What a year! Dan talked about trends, and the progression of the genre this year. Things in the music landscape are really changing, and metal music is more diverse and more plentiful than ever.
After many beers, many hours spent staring at iTunes and Spotify playlists, and an aural overload from revisiting albums, as well as checking out some I missed over the course of the year, I have whittled my list down to my top ten releases. Sure there are more technical albums, possibly better written albums, and more popular albums than some of my picks, but I went with MY favorites. The albums that impressed me the most and those I kept coming back to over the course of the year. I’m a sucker for melodic thrash/death metal, so surprise! There’s plenty of that on the list. Instead of simply tossing out our Ten Favorite Albums in No Particular Order, we grew some balls this year and decided to rank them. The further I went down my list the harder it became to really pick one over the other, so I want to address a couple albums that came up just short on my list. Don’t feel bad guys, I’m just a 26-year-old fan with a blog, not making my top ten will only be seen by a couple dozen of people…if we’re lucky.
So the runners up (in no particular order):
Cormorant – Dwellings: I’m almost positive this would end up on my list if it had come out a few weeks earlier. I’ve only had a chance to listen to it twice, and know it will definitely be in my rotation for weeks to come. Vocalist Arthur von Nagel sounds stronger and fiercer than ever and the group’s songwriting abilities continue to impress. This is an album with a very diverse blend of genres and tones that is already making waves in its short existence.
Havok- Time is Up: Aggressive, fast, punishing, this is an album that DOESN’T get caught in the mix among the other neothrash bands. The addition of a new guitarist and drummer has this band firing on all cylinders. Definitely a band that makes us Coloradoan’s proud.
The Black Dahlia Murder- Ritual: As melodic as it is heavy and dark, this is a band that continues to get better with each release. From the solo on “On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood” to the speedy riffing in “The Grave Robber’s Work” and my favorite track, the punishing “Malenchantments of the Necrosphere” this album is one of the more solid front-to-back releases of the year.
Turisas- Stand up and Fight: While a lot of people were a bit harsh on the bands new direction I thought the album was great. Sure it had its cheese factor on some songs “Hunting Pirates” anyone?!? – But the utilization of the orchestra and choral arrangements made for some epic sounding songs. Just listening and thinking of all the work that must have gone into the album as well as all the individual people who performed and sang on the album just made this album seem like such an undertaking I had acknowledge it somewhere!
Mastodon- The Hunter: Great production, great songs. Catchy and full of hooks, yet progressive enough to keep things interesting. A great blend of their older grit and more modern progressive tendencies. These songs came off great live and really cement Mastodon in the top tier of U.S. metal bands.
The top ten shall be unleashed before the end of the week!
-Chris
New Mastodon album “The Hunter” Streaming
Woohoo! The Hunter is only one week away from release, but like so many bands do, you can now stream it in its entirety below. Instead of just posting the album, the band has some pretty sweet visuals up to go along with the tunes:
I haven’t had a chance to listen to it all the way through yet, but so far, so good. Very Mastodon-ish! Tickets for the band’s upcoming tour with The Dillinger Escape Plan have already gone on sale. For the next week, every pair of tickets bought online will include a redeemable code for a digital copy of the album! Check that out or go BUY a copy next week!
-Chris
Mastodon to hit the road with The Dillinger Escape Plan!
Just in time to showcase their new album The Hunter, Mastodon will begin a headlining tour October 25th alongside The Dillinger Escape Plan and Red Fang. The Hunter will be released September 27th on Reprise Records. The group have given us our first taste of the album with the tracks “Curl of the Burl” and “Black Tongue” and both sounded promising. “Curl of the Burl” follows the group’s more recent sound while “Black Tongue” is grittier and more reminiscent of the band’s older works. Both songs are great and I’m pretty excited to hear the rest of the album.
This tour is even more attractive by the fact that (at least in Denver) it is hitting smaller venues. As awesome as it was to see Mastodon at Red Rocks, it will be awesome to check them out in a more intimate setting. Seeing how Dan and I missed Dillinger Escape plan with the Deftones (both shows), this tour is basically a must. Check out the dates HERE.
-Chris
Mastodon; pure nerd awesomeness.
Well, I started my second year of graduate school today. Since I’m studying literature and nothing else was interesting to me to post today, here is Mastodon’s song “I Am Ahab” off their literature loving album Leviathan. Gotta love a metal band that has the balls to write a concept album based on a monster of a text like Moby Dick, right?
-Dan
Mastodon to release live CD/DVD
Mastodon have set March 15, as the release date for their CD/DVD “Live at the Aragon”. The show was filmed October 17th, 2010 in Chicago during the band’s run on the BlackDiamondSkye tour. The live footage will include the full performance of the group’s highly-touted album Crack the Skye as well as some not-so commonly played tracks. The DVD will also feature a “tour film” comprised of the films that were projected on the stage during the band’s performance; from what I remember, they were pretty epic.
The setlist goes as followed: Oblivion – Divinations – Quintessence – The Czar – Ghost of Karelia – Crack the Skye – The Last Baron – Circle of Cysquatch – Aqua Dementia – Where Strides The Behemoth – Mother Puncher – The Bit (Melvins cover).
After witnessing what a show the group put on during our stop on this tour, buying this DVD is basically a no-brainer. The setlist is missing some big “classics” from the group, but I’m sure it will still be well worth picking up. Plus, it’s freakin’ MASTODON!
Check out the trailer below:
-Chris
Blackdiamondskye Tour: Live at Red Rocks
Red Rocks Amplitheatre makes every band that plays on it’s stage seem a bit more epic than your typical show. Monday night at the Blackdiamondskye Tour, the bands played like Gods. Dan and I have been to dozens and dozens of shows together and this is one of the few that we really couldn’t put into words how good it was on the ride home. Two nights later, I’m still struggling how to describe how awesome of a show it was, just know that it was goooood.
Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds walked up to the microphone and with a simple “Fuck yea!” broke into “Naked Burn” and the festivities were under way. After hearing so many stories of this band having issues live, we weren’t sure what to expect, but the band played with great precision and sounded nearly flawless. With no break or between-song banter, the band tore through “Divinations”, “Oblivion”, “Crystal Skull” and “Colony of Birchmen”, before playing the eleven-minute epic “The Czar”. Each band basically got there own stage setup and lights display and Mastodons was pretty cool. Two video screens played eerie space scenes overlapped with black and white footage of all kinds of stuff, it definetely fit with there music. The band concluded their set with “Megalodon” and “Blood and Thunder”. Either we got lucky, or Mastodon’s live troubles aren’t as prevalent as people say they are because they were amazing.
Next up were the Deftones. The band has been through a lot the last few years, and this was our first time seeing them without former bassist Chi Cheng. With the group releasing Diamond Eyes earlier this year, we were pretty amped up for some Deftones! The band exploded on the stage with “Rocket Skates”. Chino seemed to return to form, as he was flying all over the stage, something that had been toned down in more recent years. The band did a great job of playing a little something for everyone. Everything off of Diamond Eyes sounded pristine and all of the classics sounded more savage than ever. There 12-song set showcased a band at a new high, hopefully they will be back soon.
After two amazing sets, it was time for Alice in Chains. The guys opened with “Them Bones” and owned the stage for the remainder of the evening. During the set, Jerry Cantrell informed the crowd that it was the first time the band had been back to the venue since opening for Slayer and “having shit reigning down on us for 30 minutes straight”. The band sounded even tighter than last time I saw them in February and I really can’t say enough good things about singer William Duvall. If you read this site, you know I was a skeptic at first, but with Black Gives Way to Blue and seeing them live twice now, I couldn’t be a bigger fan of the guy. Not to take anything away from Layne Staley, or to even compare the two singers, but William Duvall can SING. There were many moments throughout the night where his voice was simply amazing, whether during “Rain When I Die”, “Junkhead”, or “We Die Young” the guy was FLAWLESS. The rest of the group sounded amazing as well and Jerry Cantrell owned the stage. After a brief intermission the group came back out and played “Nutshell”. Considering the setting and how much I love that song, it was definetely one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen live before. They closed out with “Man in the Box” and “Would?” ending an evening that will go down as one of the best shows Dan and I have EVER attended.
This was a hell of a tour. While Mastodon’s set only lasted 45-minutes, you got a really good feel of what they were about, as well as the Deftones hour long set. All three bands were on fire, and I’m sure they will keep the momentum going into whatever they decide to tackle next. Now here’s a video that will make you feel like you’re there, peoples heads in the way and all!
-Chris
Blackdiamondskye no longer a “secret”
The teaser videos were somewhat tricky….well not really, but it didn’t take long for people to figure out the clips featured songs from the Deftones, Alice in Chains, and Mastodon. The three bands have announced the first string of dates for a fall tour playing some pretty large venues across the way. More dates and more info will be announced within the coming days at blackdiamondskye.com.
The Deftones always seem to put on a great show; and it will be exciting to see them play again, especially with their new album out by the time the tour starts. Mastodon are one band Dan and I ALWAYS seem to miss and haven’t seen yet, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about them…..plus, it’s MASTODON! And you can read here about how awesome Alice in Chains are live. All in all this is a pretty huge, diverse (for metal) tour that will definetely be worth seeing, and you can bet Dan and I will be at Red Rocks fo sho!
-Chris
Could Alice in Chains, Mastodon and Deftones tour together!? I think I need to lie down…
So, some website, in conjunction with a video found on youtube, has lead some to speculate that Deftones, Alice in Chains and Mastodon will be touring together in the fall.
Are you still there? I’m not sure I am. Let me just say, if this is announced and true, then I pretty much might go into a comatose state from shock and joy. Seriously, marrying two of the bands I’ve loved since my teens with a current obsession, tack on all of them being top quality and able to headline their own tours at the drop of the hat… this would be big. Alas, all we have right now is speculation and a very confusing video. Let conjecture run rampant because I know I sure will!
-Dan
Best Videos of 2009: #2 Mastodon
As if Mastodon’s music wasn’t epic enough, these guys create an equally impressive video. The band released two videos off their critically acclaimed album Crack the Skye; one for the track “Divinations” which can be seen HERE, and one for “Oblivion” which can be viewed below. If only all videos were this good….
-Chris
Best of 2009: Mastodon- Crack the Skye
A few years ago, a website I regularly visit posted an interesting article on who would be the future metal heavyweights. While no answer was given, I don’t recall Mastodon being among the names mentioned. Still, you’d be hard pressed to find a band that is in a better spot than Mastodon right now. Crack the Skye has been heralded by blogs and sites all over the internet and for good reason; it’s an epic album that takes Mastodon from the literature loving metallers they were into progressive metal heavyweights. From the opening riffs of “Divinations” which recall the Mastodon of old, to closer “The Last Baron” the album twists and turns, taking us from heavy handed beatings to ethereal moments of clarity, taking us on what could very well be a drug fueled trip into the nether world. Mastodon accomplish this without ever leaving you hanging by awkward transitions or strange forays into over indulgent playing. With catchy chorus after catchy chorus, everything is still firmly locked down and all sounds “epic.” Ultimately, like other albums on this list, it’s the quality of the songwriting that wins out, being neither boring or too simplistic. Crack the Skye is an inspired album that firmly moves Mastodon into the limelight and into new and inventive ways of making music.
-Dan
This band that can do no wrong. While many people jumped the on bandwagons for numerous other releases this year, Mastodon are still at the top of the food chain in the progressive/metal/all around awesome band category. Crack the Skye is another masterpiece. With their most disciplined approach at song writing yet, Mastodon creates an intricate album both musically and through vocals. Having three different vocalists on tracks like “Oblivion” works incredibly well, and proves not only that this band are talented musicians, but that they have unique, and surprisingly well-done vocal abilities. Like Between the Buried and Me, it will be awesome to see what this band will create next time around.
-Chris
For your viewing pleasure
As we work on new reviews and such and as the metal community continues to be obsessed with twitter induced gossip, we don’t have much new to report/add today. However, there are a few new videos that sparked my interest and may spark yours.
Killick, who describes himself and his music as “Appalachian Trance Metal” has posted a new video on Youtube and it is below for your viewing pleasure.
The track is of note to metal heads for featuring Brann Dailor of Mastodon fame on drums. The track will appear on the album Exsanguinette due in August.
Pain, the Peter Tägtgren hard rock/metal outfit has posted a new video for “Have a Drink on Me” off of their most recently released album Cynic Paradise which came out last year. It is a far, far cry from Hypocrisy and could best be described as the Swedish version of Hellyeah. View it below.
Proggy death metallers Derelict have a behind the scenes video for the filming of their new video for their track, “Machete” off of their most recent offering Unspoken Words. Check it out below, it looks like it could be good.
And, just because epic, aging hair metal band videos are funny, here is the video for the title track off of Europe’s forthcoming new album, Last Look at Eden. Enjoy!
-Dan
Monday’s Metal Scraps
Well-Oiled Machine Head crushes an already Limp Bizkit
An internet war of words was finally put to rest Sunday when Machine Head played directly before Limp Bizkit at the U.K. Sonisphere festival. Machine Head initially dropped off the festival due to unknowingly being bumped down a slot in favor of Limp Bizkit. A day before the show, front man Rob Flynn vowed on the bands message board to “fucking CRUSH LIMP BIZKIT!”
After the festival, the war of words continued as Limp Bizkit’s DJ Lethal tweeted/twitted/twatted: “Just finished playing at Sonisphere festival in London with NIN and METALLICA…as for (MACHINE HEAD), hahaha, the only thing crushed was your egos. Lol…Suck it!!!!”
In response, Mr. Flynn posted the following:
“Tonight was one of the biggest ego boosts we’ve ever had! Not that we had shit to do with it, but it was funny how the crowd chanted ‘MACHINE FUCKING HEAD’ in between every song that LIMP BIZKIT played tonight, and they didn’t say SHIT about it onstage except ‘MACHINE HEAD is hard, and their fans are hard.’ Now that their they’re away from our crowd and our stage, now [DJ Lethal's] an Internet tough guy. And this is coming from the guy wearing a MACHINE HEAD shirt ONSTAGE tonight… hmmm… NICE!
“By the way, we had 21 circle pits today!! That is a new record for the U.K. Our previous record at [U.K.'s] Download [festival] was 12 circle pits.
“Today we made fucking history, Sonisphere!!! FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!
“If there’s any doubt, footage from both sets will appear sooner or later.”
In the end, Machine Head did the only thing they needed to do; play a concert. There’s no need for the internet grumbling back and forth, the music speaks for itself. Machine Head are on top of their game, Limp Bizkit is old news. It makes both bands look stupid for arguing over the internet and makes Machine Head look almost worse for continuing the typing war. In the end your playing for the fans; and in this case, the fans quite obviously let it be known who’s side they were on.
Let the Fall touring begin!
Mastodon and Dethklok will co-headline a North American tour with support coming from High on Fire and Converge. Dates here.
Trivium have also announced headlining dates with White Chapel, Darkest Hour, and Dirge Within supporting. Dates here.
-Chris
