Ozzfest Announces Line-up and Dates

More than 15 years after Ozzy  debuted OZZFest, the defining blueprint for hard rock tours and festivals returns this August in six American cities with an explosive bill co-headlined by Ozzy and, in their first-ever OZZFest appearance, Mötley Crüe—touring together for the first time with Ozzy since he invited the group on their now legendary 1984 arena tour. Expect the energy to go way off the charts at the all-day extravaganza of music and deranged merriment.

The 2010 OZZFest–back after taking a year off in 2009 and the 2008 one-off stadium spectacular in Dallas, TX with OZZY and Metallica headlining–will kick off August 14 in San Bernardino (the birthplace of the first OZZFest in 1996) and then make stops in Chicago, IL, Hartford, CT, Camden, NJ, Pittsburgh, PA and Boston, MA. Live Nation will promote the tour nationally.

The main stage will feature full sets from Ozzy, Mötley Crüe and Rob Halford (who last appeared on OZZFest in 2004 with Judas Priest), performing songs from his solo career along with material from Judas Priest and Fight. DevilDriver and Nonpoint will round out the main stage line-up. Second stage headliners and six-time OZZFest veterans Black Label Society will be joined by Drowning Pool, Kingdom of Sorrow, and Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch, Saviours and Kataklysm.

Each OZZFest date will include 13 bands on two stages with music beginning at 1:00 PM. In addition, concert-goers can once again visit the OZZFest “Village of the Damned” featuring a mix of interactive activities, shopping and entertainment throughout the venue concourses.

These OZZFest dates mark the first concerts in the U.S. in connection with the June 15 release of SCREAM (Epic Records), the OZZFest’s founder’s first album in three years and 10th studio album overall. OZZY’s band consists of his OZZY’s new guitar player, Gus G., bassist Blasko, drummer Tommy Clufetos and keyboardist Adam Wakeman.

Tickets for the shows go on sale May 22 at www.OZZfest.com and www.LiveNation.com.

The 2010 OZZFEST dates are as follows:

Sat, Aug 14 – San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater
Tue, Aug 17 – Chicago, IL – First Midwest Bank Amp.
Thurs, Aug 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – First Niagara Pavilion
Sat , Aug 21 – Hartford, CT – Comcast Theater
Sun, Aug 22 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna
Tue, Aug 24 – Boston, MA – Comcast Center

Interview with Devildriver’s Dez Fafara

Halcyon Way’s Zane Harper sits down with Devildriver frontman Dez Fafara before  takes the stage at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia.

Video and Editing: James Truax

Best of 2009: TST Top 25 Metal Albums of 2009

# 25 Five Finger Death Punch – War is the Answer

Great, heavy groove riffs and Ivan Moody’s vocals switch effortlessly between melodic songs and angry heavy growls.

# 24 Static – X   The Cult of Static

Static-X lost me after Wisconsin Death Trip but has found my ear again with Cannibal and now the Cult of Static. Stingray crushes!

# 23 ISIS -  Wavering Radiant

Wavering Radiant is slices of dense ambiance and unique timbre that ebb and flow though nlimatic shifts of distorted heaviness and melodic grace.

# 22 Municipal Waste – Massive Aggressive

Municipal Waste is carrying the torch for  party/crossover thrash, Massive Aggressive will make any D.R.I ,Suicidal Tendencies or Nuclear Assault fans happy with their catchy and addictive breakneck pace thrash anthems.

# 21 Divine Hersey – Bringer of Plagues

Bringer of Plagues is an intense sonic punch to the head. Tim Yeung is a madman with his rapid fire double bass bombastic kicks and Dino’s savage crushing riffs dictates most of the songs on this precision driven beast.

# 20 Kreator – Hordes of Chaos

Mille Petrozza takes out his flag of hate to lead the charge on Kreator’s “Hordes of Chaos”. HOC was recorded in a live setting on a 4-track analog tape recorder, with no overdubs, leading to a revived raw feel that reminds fans of the old Flag of Hate days.

The Title track is a burner that will have you screaming out the chorus “Hordes of Chaos, everyone against everyone, chaos”

# 19 Shadows Fall -  Retribution

After their major label debut didn’t work out, Shadows Fall deliver Retribution to the fans. Donais and Bechand re-introduce their famous speed grove riffs and incendiary solos to match Jason Bittner menacing blast on drums, as Brain flair delivers his layered vocals and barking gruff growls.

Retribution revisits the sound that that made this band great. Just listen to Dead and Gone.

# 18 Between The Buried and Me – The Great Misdirect

The great Misdirect is a creative mix of genres with technical mastery infused with layered structures of passion, virtuosity and sudden fits of aggression.

The riffs are fabricated with interludes of jazz infused ditties to progressive bouts of brutality as the sound changes from chaotic dissonant to diatonic layering. Throw out the genre book as if Zappa plays deathcore.

# 17 Megadeth – EndGame

Endgame is the first album with Megadeth new guitarist Chris Broderick and his blistering solos take me back to the Marty Friedman days on Rust in Peace. Glenn Drover was a good guitarist, but to me it seems to lack the fire and passion of Chris or Marty. Just listen to furious riffs on Headcrusher or the back and forth harmonized solo on 1320.

#16 Lamb of God – Wrath

The catchy vocals and growls of Randy Blithe, brutal grooves of Mark Morton and Willie Adler and the bone-crushing drumming of Chris Adler set the stage for Wrath which is  a  relentless onslaught of pure unadulterated American metal.

#15 Maylene and the Sons of Disaster – III

III is a deep fried, shit kicking southern Metal album that shakes the foundation of the genre by tossing out the ‘core’. Just listen to Dallas Taylor and Marlene’s triple ax attack on ‘Just a Shock’, it is an infectious, barn burning, whiskey drenched rock and roll song that will make you instant fan.

# 14 Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings

Dream Theater release another instant classic with Black Cloud and Silver Lining, the song “A Rite of Passage” will be a staple in the DT line up for years to come showcasing guitarist John Petrucci virtuositic shredding.

# 13 SkeletonWitch – Breathing The Fire

Skeletonwitch released another Thrash beast with Breathing the Fire. Nate and Scott’s blistering shreds wrap around Chance Garnette death growls with precession. Skeletonwitch is one of the bands leading the American Thrash revival.

# 12 Heaven & Hell – The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know is a great heavy doom album from the masters . Dio is still one of the best vocalist in the world and Tony Iommi is the grand master of melodic heavy riff.

# 11 Revocation – Existence is Futile

Revocation’s Thrash / Tech death/Deathcore explosion of whirlwind riffs and chaotic rhythm changes evoke the spirits of bands like Death and Atheist. The songs “Dismantle the Dictator” and “Anthem of the Betrayed” see guitarist Dave Davidson unleashed a barrage of intricate fret wizardry and blistering ambitious solos. The rhythm team of bassist Anthony Buda and drummer Philip Dubois, gallop through dynamic tempo changes and hook-laden grooves that swirled around Davidson incendiary rapid paced riffs.

# 10 Kylesa – Static Tensions

Static Tensions is great mix of sludged out, downed tuned psychedelic rock riffs woven together with a thick double drum sound and a trippy doom groove. Listen to furious pounding dirges and aesthetic undertones on “Running Red”.

# 9 Evile – Infected Nations

Evile is back with their second helping of thrash. Infected Nation pulls comparisons to Justice Era Metallica with Matt Drake seaming to conjure the spirit of a young James Hetfield. Infected Nation is full of hallowing, chugging, aggression, headbanging monstrosities. A must for any thrash fan (R.I.P. bassist Mike Alexander).

# 8 Daath – The Concealers

The Concealers contain crushing groove-laden thrash riffs with angry raw bellowing screams that will drive the demons out of you. Just listen to ‘Sharpen the Blades’; it brings images of The Late Dime playing with Lamb of God! Killer!Eyal Levi and Emil Werstler shread!

# 7 Zoroaster – Voice of Saturn

Voice of Saturn is a monolithic, down tempo, southern-fried piece of sludge that is filled with oozing avant-garde melodies that takes doom metal, art metal, psychedelic rock, stoner metal, and sludge and weaves it into a crushing, gargantuan, twisted beast. Will Fiore (guitar and vocals), Brent Anderson (bass and vocals) and Dan Scanlan (drums) extract a nasty, droning, psychotropic, tribal tempo that rattles the meat off your ribs.

# 6 Warbringer – Waking into Nightmares

Waking into Nightmares is a thrash gem produced by Gary Holt of Exodus that features relentless galloping bay area thrash that has their fans salivating to jump in the pit with their primal fury, reminding old school thrasher of the hey day of early Exodus, Slayer and Testament. Warbringer is another leader in the new wave of American thrash.

# 5 Devil Driver – Pray for Villians

Pray for Villains is a master piece of groove laden metal. Dez and company masterfully split atoms with their rhythm attacks by John Boecklin’s demonic double bass drumming, setting the table for Jeff Kendrick and Mike Spreitzer masterful precision shreds. Spreitzer and Kendrick riffs on ‘Back with a Vengeance’ has one the best thrash grooves that I have heard in along time. In the title track ‘Pray for Villain’  Boecklin shows his speed skill on the double bass, but slows down in between supersonic double beats and hits a great groove for the chorus while guitarists Spreitzer and Kendrick start with a great melodic groove then explode into a great galloping beat, a straight up thrasher.

These guys should be mention as one of the best duos on the thrash scene with their great shreds and monstrous groove riffs.

# 4 Slayer – World Painted Blood

With the new thrash revival going on, Slayer stepped up and let world know how an assault to the ears is supposed to be done. Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman have conjured old demon from their past to set the world ablaze with their fiery solos and rapid fire runs.

Lombardo is still the best single drummer in metal and is driving force behind Slayer. Tom Araya sounds like he is pissed off again and that is a good thing. The opening title track ,”World Paint Blood” , plays like a battle cry  with the classic slayer brutal thrash groove that breaks down in the middle with Tom Araya whispering angry spoken words like the end of “Mandatory Suicide” then speeds back up to a galloping  pace to end with a sudden stop.

# 3 Lazarus A.D. – The Onslaught

Lazarus A.D. blew me away opening for Testament.The Onslaught is a high speed demon that shreds.  Songs like “Rebirth” and “Forged in Blood” bring memories of early Exodus, Testament and the groove of Death Angel. Lazarus A.D. is leading the way of the new wave of thrash along with Warbringer, Evile,Skeletonwitch and Municipal Waste. This is one of the best, so far, of the thrash metal revival with blazingly high speed riffs and heavy doses of groove.

# 2 Baroness – The Blue Record

The Blue Album is a masterpiece of beautifully layered Savannah sludge that breaks the mode. Just listen to “Steel that Sleeps the Eye” and “Swollen and Halo”. Gothic harmonized vocals lay on top of acoustic guitars that fray into textured and layers strains of whispering daydream induce riffs And raw vocals and cascading rhythms slowly build into a spiraling, aggressive, psychedelic, progressive jam.

This album was a close contender for the #1 spot.

#1 Mastodon – Crack the Skye

The opening of the grand ominous riffs of “Oblivion” is like the calling of Moses to part the red sea. Mastodon sets the world ablaze with Crack the Skye. From “Oblivion” to “The Last Baron”, Crack the Skye is a visionary conceptual ride through emotional progressive layers that cycle through the cohesive fluidity between Brent and Bill playing and is held together by Troy’s bass.

The Last Baron showcases Brann’s incredible drumming as Brent and Bill chase each other with rapid pace riffs as chaotic time-changing tempos explode into a galloping riff and climaxes into the bands screams of “We can set this world ablaze”.

Not only has  Mastodon ‘Set The World a Blaze’ , they have made the Album of the Decade. I predict that 30 years from now people will say 2009 was when Mastodon released their classic album Crack the Skye, the album that changed metal.

S.E.

Lamb of God, Devil Driver, Shadows Fall and High on Fire in Melbourne

When metal comes to town it can only mean one thing, hell raising, fist pumping, granny scaring trouble! On December 15th Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Devil Driver and High on Fire demolished Festival Hall!

Melbourne has always been a hot bed of metal, and what better way to kick off this summer’s round than with High on Fire, Shadows Fall, Devil Driver and Lamb of God all raising hell and kicking ass on the same night!?

This gig was set to deliver something unique and ball busting; with four of the hardest working metal bands in the industry today it exceeded expectations. High On Fire was up first and I was a touch upset to see the crowd’s response to the band. There was hardly any movement or crowd participation, except a few diehard fans in the pit and up in front. High on Fire put on a great show. Their sound was tight and the vocals were spot on.

I was really happy with the change over/set up times between each band. Often it can take up to 45 minutes from the end of one band to the start of the next, which can cause the crowd to lose energy and momentum, but set changes this time around were no longer than 25 minutes.

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DEVILDRIVER Announces Winter Tour With SUFFOCATION

DEVILDRIVER has just announced a five-week winter tour of the US and Canada that will kick off in January 2010. Metal veterans Suffocation will provide main support. Goatwhore and Thy Will Be Done also be on the tour.

DevilDriver vocalist Dez Fafara said, “Come on out to this tour and prepare to have your asses handed to you! It’ll be an evening of full metal assault on your senses. Leave your earplugs at home and be prepared for several hours of headbanging.”

DEVILDRIVER Tour Dates:

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DevilDriver Planning U.S. Tour Dates

Dez Fafara of DevilDriver has issued the following statement about planning a string of U.S. tour dates:

“Here’s a quick update for everyone , DevilDriver is hitting the United States for a Headline run starting Jan 7 till Feb 13!!! This tour will be what you’ve all been asking us to do! ‘Put a heavy metal package together!’ The bands coming along for the ride are ALL fucking Heavy metal bands!

We are putting the final dates together now, stay tuned for a list of Bands and Dates to come within days!”
Specific dates and venues will be updated as they are announced.

Check out their new video for ‘Fate stepped in’ off the latest release “Pray for Villains”

S.E.