The last time Korn and Limp Bizkit toured together was a few months before I was even born, closing in on 20 years now. However, neither band had reached their respected success at this time; Korn were on their way there after the releases of their first 2 albums, Korn and Life Is Peachy whereas Limp Bizkit were still waiting for their first album Three Dollar Bill, Y'all to even be released.
Fast forwarding 2 decades, however, sees both bands reunite on a dual-headlining tour of the UK. A collective 16 studio albums (which spawned a further 75+ million album sales) distance their last tour together to this date, stats that justify why both artists can both claim the headline title in today's age.
Beginning their first leg -of a six leg tour- in Manchester, nobody knew what to really expect other that Korn being the closing act of the evening, and a *sold out* Manchester Arena played testament to the fact that this tour was what people were eager to see. (I say *sold out* because there were no more tickets available on first hand ticket websites but there were plenty of empty seats- courtesy of ticket touts.)
Nevertheless, there was a huge cheer when the lights first went down, as the crowd were eager to welcome the self proclaimed 'NYHC' (New York Hardcore) band Madball. Laying out the core basics of what the hardcore genre is all about, Madball powered through their set with aggression. Hard, fast, heavy beats were the backbone of their material, carrying vocals that shared such aggression and which furthermore fed the audience into the mood for the evening. The band, nearing their 30th year together, worked strongly as a unit. Each member played off each other with cohesion and compatibility, they certainly played their part in the line-up well.
Almost 3 years since their last visit to Manchester, Limp Bizkit were the first of the night's headliners- the penultimate headliner, if you will. Minding the pun, they really got the night Rollin'. Opening the setlist with their most popular song is testament to everything Limp Bizkit stands for; from their name to their stage presence to their lyrics, they just don't give a single fuck.
"No-one brings the party harder, heavier, and more exciting than us" exclaims Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, a statement that you can see he truly believes. Out of the 11 songs in their setlist, 8 of them were out of their highest selling album 'Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water' taking the audience back to a year 2000-focal night where Bizkit were at the pinnacle of height as a band. As for the remaining 3 songs left in their setlist, they took us even further back. 1999's 'Nookie' and 'Break Stuff' played in the latter stages of their set ensured everyone kept riled up and the well known cover 'Faith' (from 1997) is hard to not join in with. 'I did it all for the nookie' were lyrics definitely chanted one of the loudest and the drop foregoing 'break your fucking face tonight' was undoubtedly the band's crescendo for the evening.
Almost 3 years ago I saw them play the Manchester Academy to an audience of around 2,000 other people on the annual Kerrang! Tour (which I also coincidentally reviewed...) and am lucky to have seen them now in a larger environment to now appreciate that Limp Bizkit are an arena-suited band. Not taking away anything from how they are in smaller venues, but Bizkit's music is made to be blasted through loud speakers- a few blips in the sound aside, this was the main reason why they were so good this night.
The last time Korn played Manchester was June 2015, a lot sooner than fellow tourmates Limp Bizkit, however, they now return after releasing their twelfth studio album 'The Serenity of Suffering.' Unlike their Nu-Metal counterparts however, Korn's setlist was in no way weighted to one particular album, in fact, the 15 songs played were extracted from 8 albums, one of those songs even being a cover song and the albums played range from 1996's Korn to 2016's The Serenity of Suffering, giving them the best of 20 years of material to plough through.
The songs weren't played chronologically, however, as the recognisable opening riff to 2003's Right Now slowly emerged through the solo drumming of Ray Luzier to a huge cheer from the crowd. A plethora of the band's most well known hits then followed; Here To Stay, Somebody Someone and their new single Rotting In Vein received a frenzied audience response whereas their cover of Word Up! (which was the first time they played it live since 2004) had everyone singing in unity.
Korn's light show was quite something too. Roughly 7ft high lights span the midsection of the stage, only splitting down the middle to home the drumkit, and a row of lights hung above the stage brightly accompanying the music- and I mean brightly. I was sat on the back row as far away as you could get from the stage and even I was seeing lights for hours after the concert finished. Glad to say my eyes are fine now and there wasn't any permanent damage to my corneas- or Korneas, if you will- but there was a definite irony, I felt, when they were on the closing end of their set playing Blind. 'I can see I'm going blind', yeah, me too Jonathan mate.
All jokes aside, this was an evening displaying 3 bands in their respected genres standing the test of time and proving why they deserve to still be valid. Granted, Fred Durst may not be a name as big as it was 15 years ago, with him allegedly dating Britney Spears, performing duets with Christina Aguilera at the 2000 MTV Music Video Awards etc... but 40 million album sales, 3 Grammy Nominations and 4 out of their 5 albums reaching the number one spot in at least one country shows that they've cemented their place deservingly as one of the leads in rap-rock/nu-metal.
Korn may have not experienced the level of fame Limp Bizkit initially did, but they've certainly amassed a loyal following- a loyal following that gets them high 'top 10' chart status across all major countries repeatedly, time and time again. This tour was focusing on how two bands can spearhead the introduction of a new type of metal genre, bring it to the mainstream and still be valid decades on. And they both definitely have made their mark.
Thursday, 15 December 2016
Monday, 7 November 2016
Avenged Sevenfold ~ The Stage, album review. An Unexpected Adventure.
In this day and age, for any artist to completely hide an album release, throwing millions of people off with a fake release date before unleashing an all-out assault on every market platform (iTunes to Spotify to worldwide album release) is quite a feat. Front-man M.Shadows jokingly commented on the approach of the release, "it's 2016, people's attention spans are too short at this point, who has time for 3 months of lead-up?" A statement which differs vastly from the approach to their last release, Hail To The King (2013.)
The release of their seventh album, The Stage, which is the longest album the band has released to date (clocking in at just under 74 minutes), takes the listener on a journey. The concept album, which focuses on the thoughts of human compatibility and juxtaposes is with broader thought of existence, leads you into new territory that has been previously unexplored by the band, guiding you with soft ballads and disrupting you with hard hitting head-bangers.
The album is also a feeding introduction to new drummer, Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion, Tenacious D), who justifies his place in the band with an explosive drumming style, which was the first thing audiences were treated to upon hearing their new single, "The Stage" which released a few weeks prior to the album of the same name. His drumming style helps give the album it's own personality, separating it from the other work Sevenfold had previously produced.
Previous drummer Arin Llejay, who joined the band in 2012 and helped produce the band's 6th album Hail To The King which was a great success for the band, seeing them top charts in the UK and numerous other leading countries around the world, spawning a huge world tour and countless festival headlining appearances. HTTK's pre-release posed an agonising number of weeks for fans, who's promotion ranged from IOS games that leaked UK tour venues, to having a radio on their website that leaked new songs, to even leaking the album artwork piece by piece to eventually reveal the full album cover.
In comparison, I think the surprise album drop took away the "new album hype", making it feel almost as if it wasn't serious. It took away the aspect that previously built up excitement for a release. For me, it almost felt like it wasn't a real album, and more of just a ballad mix; there were no real stand-out songs unlike other past Sevenfold albums and a few of the songs even sounded similar too. You get what you come for though and in now way am I inferring it's a disastrous album, but it's nothing like the level we all know Avenged Sevenfold are capable of.
Careful planning, dedication and execution played a large part in what made their previous albums so successful. Live and learn on this one.
2/5.
The release of their seventh album, The Stage, which is the longest album the band has released to date (clocking in at just under 74 minutes), takes the listener on a journey. The concept album, which focuses on the thoughts of human compatibility and juxtaposes is with broader thought of existence, leads you into new territory that has been previously unexplored by the band, guiding you with soft ballads and disrupting you with hard hitting head-bangers.
The album is also a feeding introduction to new drummer, Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion, Tenacious D), who justifies his place in the band with an explosive drumming style, which was the first thing audiences were treated to upon hearing their new single, "The Stage" which released a few weeks prior to the album of the same name. His drumming style helps give the album it's own personality, separating it from the other work Sevenfold had previously produced.
Previous drummer Arin Llejay, who joined the band in 2012 and helped produce the band's 6th album Hail To The King which was a great success for the band, seeing them top charts in the UK and numerous other leading countries around the world, spawning a huge world tour and countless festival headlining appearances. HTTK's pre-release posed an agonising number of weeks for fans, who's promotion ranged from IOS games that leaked UK tour venues, to having a radio on their website that leaked new songs, to even leaking the album artwork piece by piece to eventually reveal the full album cover.
In comparison, I think the surprise album drop took away the "new album hype", making it feel almost as if it wasn't serious. It took away the aspect that previously built up excitement for a release. For me, it almost felt like it wasn't a real album, and more of just a ballad mix; there were no real stand-out songs unlike other past Sevenfold albums and a few of the songs even sounded similar too. You get what you come for though and in now way am I inferring it's a disastrous album, but it's nothing like the level we all know Avenged Sevenfold are capable of.
Careful planning, dedication and execution played a large part in what made their previous albums so successful. Live and learn on this one.
2/5.
Monday, 31 October 2016
Billy Talent, Manchester Academy, 15/10/2016
Off the back of an agonising 4 year wait, Billy Talent finally return to the UK presenting the 'Afraid Of Heights' tour following the release of their 5th album of the same name, which released late July of this year.
The atmosphere amidst the fans waiting outside the Academy was definitely tense, hoping that after a huge world tour which saw the band visit countries such as Japan, America and Australia, it was finally our time to get a fix. The hiatus wasn't without reason however. Lead singer Benjamin Kowalewicz explains, "after the Paris attacks last year, we were hesitant on touring Europe." Ben explains that a victim of the 2015 attacks on the Bataclan was a friend of the band, before adding "...however, we feel very welcome tonight, so thank you." A speech that was met with a collective round of applause.
A shout-out has to be given to the night's support acts; Say Yes and Young Guns. Both brought their own individual energy and proved themselves as suitable support bands for the evening, evolving the excitement through both of their sets, something Young Guns frontman Gustav Wood was adamant about pushing. And it worked.
Ultimately, Billy Talent then took to the stage, powering through a solid setlist with contagious energy. It made it almost impossible for that energy not to be transferred to the crowd below, a statement justified by the atmosphere that night. The setlist pattern had a feeling to me that it was purposefully structured to go from fast, to slow, to fast. Songs like Devil In A Midnight Mass and Viking Death March, which were played first and last, respectively (before the encore) sandwiched much slower songs like Surrender and White Sparrows, which were played right at the very heart of their set, acting almost as a metaphorical roller-coaster dip- bringing the energy up, down, then right back up again.
Kudos has to be given to the support for the evening, who were definitely an appropriate build up to the main finale, as they undoubtedly gained more fans that night through their enthusiastic, energetic performances and catchy songs. Billy Talent sped through their songs with great intensity, be it through the more intimate softer songs or the more riff-heavy ones, making them an electric experience to see live, something I would wholeheartedly suggest for anyone to see. Although they've just recently left, I know I won't be the only one hoping that the next time they return, we won't have waited as long as we did before.
The atmosphere amidst the fans waiting outside the Academy was definitely tense, hoping that after a huge world tour which saw the band visit countries such as Japan, America and Australia, it was finally our time to get a fix. The hiatus wasn't without reason however. Lead singer Benjamin Kowalewicz explains, "after the Paris attacks last year, we were hesitant on touring Europe." Ben explains that a victim of the 2015 attacks on the Bataclan was a friend of the band, before adding "...however, we feel very welcome tonight, so thank you." A speech that was met with a collective round of applause.
A shout-out has to be given to the night's support acts; Say Yes and Young Guns. Both brought their own individual energy and proved themselves as suitable support bands for the evening, evolving the excitement through both of their sets, something Young Guns frontman Gustav Wood was adamant about pushing. And it worked.
Ultimately, Billy Talent then took to the stage, powering through a solid setlist with contagious energy. It made it almost impossible for that energy not to be transferred to the crowd below, a statement justified by the atmosphere that night. The setlist pattern had a feeling to me that it was purposefully structured to go from fast, to slow, to fast. Songs like Devil In A Midnight Mass and Viking Death March, which were played first and last, respectively (before the encore) sandwiched much slower songs like Surrender and White Sparrows, which were played right at the very heart of their set, acting almost as a metaphorical roller-coaster dip- bringing the energy up, down, then right back up again.
Kudos has to be given to the support for the evening, who were definitely an appropriate build up to the main finale, as they undoubtedly gained more fans that night through their enthusiastic, energetic performances and catchy songs. Billy Talent sped through their songs with great intensity, be it through the more intimate softer songs or the more riff-heavy ones, making them an electric experience to see live, something I would wholeheartedly suggest for anyone to see. Although they've just recently left, I know I won't be the only one hoping that the next time they return, we won't have waited as long as we did before.
Thursday, 14 January 2016
The Defiled, Manchester Academy 3, 1/12/2014
London industrial rockers were joined by foreign bands; Killus (Spain) and Sweden's very own Avatar, literally just over a year since they supported Avenged Sevenfold and 5FDP on their Manchester-based leg of the UK tour (which you can coincidentally find my review to on the left hand side of the page/in the 'December 2013'.)
Nevertheless, this European trio congregated in the Academy 3, a 200 max. venue that always promises an intimate concert. And always delivers.
From Villarreal, Spain, industrial metallers Killus opened the evening and with a unique image of body paint and eye lenses, it was evident they were out to entertain. The standout role had to undoubtably be awarded to their bass player, 'Premutoxx', who had the juxtaposed aesthetic qualities of Rob Zombies' Captain Spaulding and Batman's The Joker. His creepy grin, over sexualised and often random stage movements made it hard to break view from him. Their on-stage antics, combined with blatant Rob Zombie/Rammstein-inspired music, produced an overall performance the crowd thoroughly enjoyed.
Avatar returned to Manchester a year after the Hail To The King arena tour in support of Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch. Although moving from a 21,000+ capacity stadium to a 200+ capacity room can be quite a downgrade, the support that they mustered previously is still very evident.
The headliners for the evening, The Defiled, had an unusual turn of fate when the electrics for the show cut out only a few songs into their set, leading the crowd to give the venue a discount light show using the torches on their phones and lighters. After orchestrating the song simply titled 'fuck the lights' (which coincidentally happened to be the only lyrics in the song), the electric finally came back on, sadly meaning the show was cut short by a song or two.
The unfortunate situation was played through really well and with good spirits, with the crowd buzzing in anticipation for the continuation of their set, which saw tracks like Sleeper, Call To Arms and As I Drown meet an avidly enthusiastic crowd response. Whereas for '5 Minutes', the crowd stepped back to see the bands passion really show through.
With the set on its final song and the whole room raving, you could tell people would be leaving the venue waiting for their return. A highly energised night with a really intimate feel to it, the perfect combination for a concert goer to experience. All 3 bands really won over their audience with style and on a very theatrically focal night, it was a genuine shame to see the concert end. I would highly recommend you keep an eye out for them all in the future. They didn't just play, they performed.
With the set on its final song and the whole room raving, you could tell people would be leaving the venue waiting for their return. A highly energised night with a really intimate feel to it, the perfect combination for a concert goer to experience. All 3 bands really won over their audience with style and on a very theatrically focal night, it was a genuine shame to see the concert end. I would highly recommend you keep an eye out for them all in the future. They didn't just play, they performed.
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