Aftershock Festival 2023 Lineup Announced

Courtesy: Ashton-Magnuson Media

Aftershock Festival organizers have announced the lineup for the annual event, which is scheduled to be held Oct. 5-8 at Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA.

Guns N’ Roses, Korn, Tool, and Avenged Sevenfold have been announced as the headliners for this year’s festival. Also on the bill for the event are other equally well-known bands, such as Godsmack, Incubus, Pantera, Megadeth, Rancid, Queens of the Stone Age, The Cult, I Prevail, AFI, Dance Gavin Dance, 311, Turnstile, and Limp Bizkit.

This year’s event is being put on by Danny Wimmer Presents, and Danny Hayes, the company’s chief executive officer, said he is looking forward to this year’s festival.

“We are so excited for what will be the biggest Aftershock in the festival’s 11-year history,” Hayes said. “We are grateful for our partnership with the city and county of Sacramento and together we have built an amazing brand that showcases Sacramento to attendees from all over the globe.”

Avenged Sevenfold is scheduled to headline the festival’s first day. Other acts scheduled for Day One are the likes of: Pennywise, Beauty School Dropout, The Cult, AFI, and Incubus.

Tool is scheduled to headline Day Two, with the likes of Megadeth, Memphis May Fire, The Hu, Skillet, Limp Bizkit, and Coheed and Cambria joining the band and others on the day.

Korn will headline Day Three. Others on the day’s schedule include and are not limited to: Corey Taylor, Avatar, The Amity Affliction, Parkway Drive, and Babymetal.

Guns N’ Roses will close out the four-day festival. Leading up to the band’s performance, other acts, including and not limited to: Queens of the Stone Age, Rancid, I Prevail, Dance Gavin Dance, Daughtry, and Mayday Parade will also take the stage.

The full list of this year’s acts is noted below. Audiences can put down $10 now toward the price of the passes. Payments toward the price can be made from there between April and August. The down payment can be made here.

The full Aftershock 2023 lineup is as follows (subject to change):

Thursday, October 5: Avenged Sevenfold, Incubus, Turnstile, The Cult, AFI, Pennywise, Nothing But Thieves, L7, White Reaper, Senses Fail, Don Broco, The Bronx, Nothing, Nowhere., DeathByRomy, Beauty School Dropout, Bob Vylan, Holding Absence, Pinkshift, Thousand Below, Starbenders, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Static Dress, Letdown.

Friday, October 6: Tool, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, Megadeth, Coheed and Cambria, Skillet, Bad Omens, The Hu, Deafheaven, Memphis May Fire, Converge, Fire From the Gods, Polaris, Rain City Drive, Gideon, Currents, Varials, Strange Kids, Dragged Under, Tallah, HANABIE., Widow7, Death Valley Dreams

Saturday, October 7: Korn, Pantera, 311, Corey Taylor, Parkway Drive, Babymetal, Polyphia, Dethklok, Avatar, Fever 333, The Amity Affliction, Sleep Token, Escape the Fate, Boston Manor, Fame on Fire, Catch Your Breath, Ten56., Reddstar, Holy Wars, ’68, Ithaca, Devil’s Cut, Traitors, Fox Lake, All Waves, As You Were

Sunday, October 8: Guns N’ Roses, Queens of the Stone Age, Rancid, I Prevail, Dance Gavin Dance, Daughtry, Badflower, Billy Talent, Mayday Parade, Suicide Silence, Movements, Ayron Jones, You Me At Six, Dead Poet Society, Austin Meade, Alpha Wolf, Jehnny Beth, Redlight King, Tigercub, Call Me Karizma, Ryan Oakes, Gnome, Luna Aura, Asava

More information on the 2023 Aftershock Festival is available along with all of the festival’s latest news at:

Website: https://www.AftershockFestival.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AftershockFestival

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AftershockSac

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Testarossa Debuts New Single, ‘Welcome To The Show,’ Companion Video

Courtesy: INgrooves/The Label Group

Independent rock band Testarossa premiered its latest single and video this week.

The band kicked off the weekend by premiering its new single, ‘Welcome To the Show‘ and its companion video Friday through INgrooves/The Label Group. The song features a guest appearance by Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses, Road Crew, Bullet Boys, Adler’s Appetite).

The musical arrangement featured in the band’s new single is, fittingly, a throwback to the sounds that made Guns N’ Roses popular and continues to make it a fan favorite. Comparisons to works from the likes of Ratt and Motley Crue are just as easy to make, considering the bombastic guitar riffs, powerhouse drumming and equally distinct vocal delivery style.

Drummer Buddy Radford talked about the song’s musical arrangement in a prepared statement.

“We are here to put the piss and vinegar back into rock-n-roll, Radford said. “‘Welcome to the Show’ is essentially a catchy chorus wrapped with simple verses and soaked with copious amounts of guitar wankery. It oozes attitude and harkens back to the day when people weren’t so soft and rock music was hard. It’s only Rock-N-Roll but we like it.”

No information was provided about the lyrical theme presented in the song. However, a simple listen revels the theme is simply about enjoying and celebrating the excesses of rock and roll.

More information on Testarossa’s new single and video is available along with all of the band’s latest news at https://www.facebook.com/Testarossarocks.

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators Deliver Another Enjoyable Successful Album In ‘4’

Courtesy: Gibson Records

More than three years after the release of its then latest album, Living the Dream, the collective of Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators will release its new album next week.  More specifically, it is scheduled for release Feb. 11 through Gibson Records.  The aptly-titled album, 4, is the group’s fourth studio recording and has already produced three singles.  It has also been promoted through plenty of recent TV appearances.  Those performances and singles have helped audiences get a good idea of the 42-minute record’s overall picture, but they are just a glimpse of how much this record has to offer.  Listening through the remainder of the album, audiences will find that its overall musical presentation has much to appreciate.  It will be discussed shortly.  The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical arrangements are of their own interest and will be discussed a little later.  The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of 4.  All things considered, 4 proves itself to be among the best of the year’s new rock records so far.

Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators’ forthcoming album 4 is a strong new offering from the super group of sorts.  That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements.  The three singles that the album has produced have already done well to make that clear.  ‘Call Off The Dogs,’ the group’s latest single for instance, clearly brings in Kennedy’s Alter Bridge influence with its rich, melodic guitar line alongside Kennedy’s own powerful vocals.  At the same time, Slash’s performance incorporates his own rock leanings to make for an interesting combination of influences.  The interest generated through that combination of sounds and stylistic approaches makes the song so rich and unique in the bigger picture of the album and in comparison to other rock compositions released so far this year. 

The group offers more variance in the record’s musical side through its performance of ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words.’  The song’s arrangement is a clear neo-classic rock style composition that also brings in the most subtle hint of stoner rock.  The production that went into the song brought those influences out clearly, too.  The result is a work that is fully immersive and that stands out so well from its counterparts in this record (and even in the band’s existing catalog). 

Much earlier in the album (the record’s second song to be precise), audiences get a touch of stoner/hard rock leanings in ‘Whatever Gets You By.’  The rich, plodding guitar line and overall instrumentation used in the song’s verses conjures thoughts of The Toadies’ hit song ‘Possum Kingdom.’  That is not to say the two songs are identical by any means.  It is just to say that stylistically speaking, the similarity is there.  That is meant in the most complimentary fashion considering how enjoyable ‘Possum Kingdom’ is to this day.  The contrast of the more melodic choruses is even similar between the songs.  Again, ‘Whatever Gets You By’ is still its own work separate of ‘Possum Kingdom,’ so it is still so enjoyable in its own right even with the similarities in sound and style.  It is just one more example of how much this record’s musical content does to make the album in whole successful.  When it is considered along with the other songs examined here and with the rest of the album’s songs, the role that the album’s musical arrangements play becomes that much clearer and in turn more important. 

While the musical arrangements featured in this album are unquestionably important to its overall presentation, they are just part of what makes the record engaging and entertaining.  The record’s lyrical themes also play into its success.  The lyrical themes featured throughout the album are largely accessible, though at some points, open for interpretation.  Right from the album’s outset, audiences get a sociopolitical commentary in the lyrical content of ‘The River is Rising.’  Kennedy explained the song’s lyrical theme during a recent interview, explaining that it addresses how easily humans are brainwashed.  That message is delivered in unique fashion as Kennedy sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “Another fool for rage/Another truth betrayed/Another lackey out of line/Torture and rip-apart/What was the pure of heart/Poison the well/And push the lie/All in the name of nothing/Have we been hypnotized/No doubt the end is coming/We’re out of time/Hang on/The river is rising/Hold strong/The tide is high/Will we drown in paradise?”  That last line, asking, “Will we drown in paradise?” is telling.  It is a cynical question that highlights the reality that we are in a bad state.  It asks what is going to happen to society in what is supposed to be a wonderful situation, but is in reality anything but a utopia.  Again, this is a great, unique way to deliver a familiar message.  The second verse continues the noted message as Kennedy sings, “Another wicked scheme/Another static dream/Indoctrination for the blind.”  This line plays with into the deliver of the song’s lead verse, furthering the message even more.  The sense of frustration with everything going on that is established through these verses couples with the energy to really help make the song’s lyrical content that much more hard hitting.  It is just one example of what makes the album’s lyrical content so important.  ‘Fill My World’ is another example of that importance.

While lyrics were not available for this critic’s review of 4, enough of the content can be deciphered to infer that this song is another familiar work that centers on a broken relationship.  This is made obvious early on as the subject sings about ‘Holding on that you’ll return to me”; this after already singing about wondering “if you really cared at all.”  If this is not a direct reference to a breakup, then one can only guess at what is said reference.  When this fully relatable theme pairs with the emotion in the song’s musical content, it makes that theme hit home even harder for audiences.

‘April Fool’ is yet another song whose lyrical theme proves relatively relatable from what can be deciphered sans lyrics.  In the case of this song, it comes across as being sung from the standpoint of someone who has been wronged by another for too long and is fed up with the mistreatment.  It does not have to necessarily, either.  The subject comes right out in the song’s chorus and goes so far as to tell that other person, “The joke’s on you” because the subject won’t be that person’s fool anymore.  The verses have mentions of being fed up with the inferred mistreatment, too.  All things considered here, the whole again comes across as a fully relatable theme for any listener.  When the high energy in the song’s musical arrangement pairs with the sense of frustration in the song’s seeming message, that lyrical theme gains even more power.  When this theme is considered along with the others examined here and with the rest of the album’s lyrical content, that whole makes for even more engagement and entertainment.  When it is considered along with the record’s overall musical content, the whole makes the album’s overall content reason enough for audiences to give this album a chance and then some.  Keeping that in mind, there is still one more item to examine here.  That item is the sequencing of that content.

The sequencing used in 4 is important because it takes into account, the diversity in the record’s overall content.  At the same time, the energy in the songs’ arrangements remains relatively stable from beginning to end.  From the neo-classic rock sounds and styles to the more borderline hard rock and stoner rock sounds and styles, each song is different from the last in its arrangement.  That duality is enough to keep audiences engaged and entertained.  Add in that the songs’ lyrical themes change just enough throughout, too, and the album gains even more appeal.  The end result of the well thought out sequencing of all of this content is that it completes the picture painted here.  When its positive impact is considered along with the record’s overall content, the whole makes 4 easily one of the best new rock records of the year so far.

Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators’ forthcoming album, 4, is another impressive new offering from the rock super group.  That is proven through its musical and lyrical content alike.  The arrangements offer audiences a variety of rock styles and sounds from one to the next.  Along the way, each arrangement is fully accessible.  The songs’ lyrical themes are just as accessible, offering audiences topics to which they will relate.  The sequencing of that content puts the final touch to the record.  It ensures that as the songs progress from start to end, the record’s energy remains stable even as the songs change.  Each item examined plays its own important part to the whole of the album’s presentation.  All things considered, they make 4 an impressive new addition to this year’s field of rock records.

4 is scheduled for release Feb.11 through Gibson Records.  More information on Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators’ new album is available along with all of the group’s latest news at:

Website:  https://www.slashonline.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Slash

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Slash

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Disconnected Sounds Ecological Alarm With New Single, Video

Courtesy: TAG Publicity

Independent hard rock band Disconnected is doing its part to bring awareness to the planet’s ecological plight.

The band did so last month through its latest single, ‘Life Will Always Find Its Way‘ and its companion video. The song is featured in the band’s forthcoming album, We Are Disconnected. The album is expected for release in 2022, with an exact release date under consideration.

The musical arrangement featured in ‘Life Will Always Find Its Way’ is an intense composition that blends elements of metalcore and progressive metal for a whole that is wholly unique. The addition of the symphonic metal elements to the mix makes for its own interest, too.

A brief statement from the band notes that the song’s lyrical theme delivers an ecological message. It reads, “‘Life will always find its way’ is a statement to raise ecological awareness, and the urgency to act. It is a clear shout out for ecology!”

The song’s video helps deliver that message by using visuals, such as the atom bomb exploding, massive tornados and hurricanes decimating cities, flooding, and plastic waste washed up on beaches.

In other news, the band announced Friday, it has been added to the lineup for the 2022 edition of the annual Hellfest festival in Clisson, France. The festival is scheduled to take place June 15-26, and also features performances from bands, such as Guns ‘N Roses, Nine Inch Nails, Megadeth, and Alice Cooper.

More information on Disconnected’s new single, video, album and live schedule is available along with all of the band’s latest news at https://www.facebook.com/wearedisconnected.band.

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.