Drowning Pool’s Debut Getting The Vinyl Treatment; Band Announces New Live Dates

Courtesy: Craft Recordings/Wind-Up Records

Drowning Pool has partnered with Craft Recordings to re-issue Drowning Pool’s debut album.

The recording, Sinner, is scheduled for release on vinyl Sept. 17 through Craft Recordings. Pre-orders are open. The re-issue, which marks the 20th anniversary of the album’s original release, is the first ever vinyl presentation for the record.

Front man Jason Moreno had only positive things to say of Drowning Pool and Sinner during a recent interview.

“Sinner is literally perfect,” said Moreno. I remember hearing and seeing it all come together.  We shared the local Dallas scene back then—Drowning Pool and an old band I used to be in—and I’d like to say we kept each other honest and made each other better through competition…but it was never even close. Dave and the guys were the dudes shaping the scene. I shared many stages with Drowning Pool before I was ever their lead singer, and I remember feeling hyped after each performance. I remember believing we’d finally upstaged them. I would have that hope right up until they took the stage and began to play, and then the truth was evident—Dave, Stevie, C.J., and Mike were always multiple steps ahead of any other band on the scene.”

Added Moreno, “The Sinner album was magic, and the guys were on fire. I believe that the record is perfect as a whole, full of catchy hooks both vocally and musically. I heard and saw those songs before a million other people around the world did, and I knew back then that Drowning Pool was destined to win. It feels crazy to go from a hater to their frontman, but let that be my testimony to the undeniable force that remains Sinner.”

Drummer Mike Luce expanded on Moreno’s comments with his own thoughts.

“To be here marking twenty years of Sinner is just mind-blowing,” said Luce. “There are so many memories of this record that I’ll carry for life.  It would require a book to properly express all that’s in my head and heart and all that led up to and came out of its release. As a kid growing up and playing drums, I dreamed of being in a band with my buds and maybe someday putting out a record. Well, we did – and it kicked ass! Thanks to all that allowed this messed-up, work-in-progress of a soul to live a dream.”

Sinner peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and certified platinum following its release in June 2001 through Wind-up Records. Its lead single, ‘Bodies,’ reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart, and No. 3 on the UK’s Rock and Metal Chart. Additionally, the song gained popularity through use in televised World Wrestling Entertainment events, and various TV ads and shows, as well as movies.

Sinner‘s track listing is noted below.

Sinner tracklist:

Side A

1.     Sinner

2.     Bodies

3.     Tear Away

4.     All Over Me

5.     Reminded

6.     Pity

Side B

1.     Mute

2.     I Am

3.     Follow

4.     Told You So

5.     Sermon

In other news, Drowning Pool has recently announced an extensive summer/fall tour that will take the band across North America. The tour is scheduled to launch Sept. 2 in Corpus Christi, TX and to run through Oct. 31 in Phoenix, AZ. It features performances in cities nationwide, such as Hartford, CT; Bozeman, MT and Tacoma, WA.

The tour’s schedule is noted below.

Drowning Pool 2021 tour dates:

Sep 02 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheater

Sep 04 – El Paso, TX @ Speaking Rock

Sep 05 – Ozawkie, KS @ Paradise Point

Sep 06 – Iowa City, IA @ Wildwood

Sep 08 – Harrison, OH @ The Blue Note

Sep 09 – Columbus, OH @ The King Of Clubs

Sep 10 – Louisville, KY @ Diamond Concert Hall

Sep 12 – Concord, VA @ Blue Ridge Music Festival

Sept. 29 – Abilene, Texas @ Abilene Convention Center

Sept. 30 – Dallas, Texas @ Granada Theater

Oct. 01 – San Antonio, Texas @ Rock Box

Oct. 02 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live

Oct. 04 – Destin, Fla. @ Club LA

Oct. 05 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Center Stage

Oct. 07 – Hartford, Ct. @ Webster Theater

Oct. 08 – Portland, Maine @ Aura

Oct. 09 – Hampton Beach, N.H. @ Wally’s

Oct. 10 – Worcester, Mass. @ The Palladium

Oct. 12 – New York, N.Y. @ Gramercy Theater

Oct. 13 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Roxian Theater

Oct. 14 – Flint, Mich. @ Machine Shop

Oct. 15 – Joliet, Ill. @ The Forge

Oct. 16 – Belvidere, Ill. @ The Apollo Theatre

Oct. 17 – Fort Wayne, Ind. @ Pierre’s

Oct. 19 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Red Flag

Oct. 20 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave II

Oct. 22 – Colorado Springs, Colo. @ Sunshine Studios

Oct. 23 – Grand Junction, Colo. @ Mesa Theater

Oct. 24 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Royal

Oct. 25 – Bozeman, Mont. @ The Elm

Oct. 26 – Missoula, Mont. @ Wilma Theater

Oct. 27 – Tacoma, Wash. @ Spanish Ballroom

Oct. 29 – Roseville, Calif. @ Goldfiend Trading Post

Oct. 30 – West Hollywood, Calif. @ Whisky A Go Go

Oct. 31 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Marquee Theater

More information on this and other titles from Craft Recordings is available at:

Website: http://CraftRecordings.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/craftrecordingsofficial

Twitter: http://twitter.com/craftrecordings

More information on the album’s re-issue and Drowning Pool’s forthcoming tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at https://www.facebook.com/drowningpool.

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.

ROTR Organizers Announce Early Details For 2014 Festival

Courtesy: MSO PR

The 2013 edition of the annual Rock on the Range festival was one of the biggest that organizers of the annual event have ever experienced.  2013 saw the annual event completely sell out.  Seeing the success that the festival had in 2013, festival organizers have announced that the festival will now expand to three full days this year. The festival, which will run from May 16^th – May 18^th this year, will be headlined by three very big name acts.  Those acts are Guns N’ Roses, Avenged Sevenfold, and Kid Rock.

While the trio of aforementioned bands will headline the once again expanded festival (last year saw the festival expand to three nights) are big names in themselves, they won’t be the only bands to perform at this year’s show.  Also scheduled to perform this year are: Seether, Five Finger Death Punch, Slayer, Staind, Motorhead, Chevelle, Alter Bridge, Mastodon, Black Label Society and Killswitch Engage among many others.  The complete lineup of bands scheduled to perform at this year’s ROTR Festival is listed below.

2014 ROCK ON THE RANGE BAND LINEUP

Guns N’ Roses, Avenged Sevenfold, Kid Rock, Five Finger Death Punch, Slayer, Staind, Motorhead, Seether, Chevelle, Alter Bridge, Mastodon, Black Label Society, Killswitch Engage, Bring Me The Horizon, Theory of a Deadman, Down, Black Stone Cherry, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, Pop Evil, Of Mice & Men, Adelitas Way, Trivium, Gojira, Suicidal Tendencies, The Pretty Reckless, We Came as Romans, Fuel, Redlight King, Miss May I, Reignwolf, Thousand Foot Krutch, Texas Hippie Coalition, Rev Theory, Skindred, Kyng, Fozzy, Heaven’s Basement, Butcher Babies, Nothing More, Exodus, King 810, Devour the Day, We As Human, We Are Harlot, Kvelertak, Jim Breuer Band, One OK Rock, Twelve Foot Ninja, Avatar, WERM, Monster Truck, Wilson, Crobot and Truckfighters with comedians Jim Breuer, Jim Florentine and more.

Audiences will note that along with the lineup up some of the biggest names in the rock world, this year’s festival also boasts the return of the ROTR Comedy Tent.  Jim Breuer, Jim Florentine, and a number of up-and-coming comedians will perform at the ROTR Comedy Tent.

Weekend passes including Field General Admission, Stadium General Admission, hotel and VIP packages and a stadium four-pack go on sale Friday, January 24^th at 10am ET.  More ticket information is available online at http://www.RockOnTheRange.com.  Additional information and updates on this year’s festival is available online at http://www.facebook.com/rockontherange and http://twitter.com/rockontherange.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://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.

ESTK’s Latest LP Could Be The Band’s Breakout Record

Courtesy: Century Media Records

Arizona based metalcore band Eyes Set to Kill released its latest full length album back in September.  Masks is not the band’s first album.  But it is the first for the band on its new home, Century Media Records.  And it is more proof of why Century Media has gradually become the rightful leading label in the rock community.  The band’s new album is so impressive because it actually stands out among the far too overcrowded metalcore field.  One listen through Masks reveals Eyes Set To Kill to present a sound that fuses elements of Lacuna Coil, Kittie, and even Evanescence to a lesser degree in terms of its sound.  Lyrically, the songs collected for this album come across as having come from a very personal place.  That mix of personal lyrics and equally powerful music make the band’s latest effort one that every member of the Metal Nation worldwide should hear at least once.

Masks is not the first album from Eyes Set To Kill.  But for those that might be new to this Arizona based band’s music, it is an excellent introduction.  Singer Alexia Rodriguez noted of the title to the band’s new album that it was the result of essentially feeling fake.  She said of dealing with certain people through the band’s history, ”I felt like we were wearing a bunch of masks to impress people. At one point, I had a bit of a revelation. We have gone through so many changes over the years, but it wasn’t about anybody else. It was about us – we’ve really found the band’s face at this point. We aren’t wearing masks anymore.”  She couldn’t be more right.  Her response to those people is made clear on this album’s opener/title track.  The song clocks in at less than two minutes.  In that short time, she throws no punches, singing, “I love the ways they tell us/This is who you should be/We put our faces on/Just like a mask/While they’re trying to make a fool out of me.”  Sadly, this is the case with so many record labels out there even today.  They are controlled by people that are more concerned with the bottom line than actually helping bands and artists develop their talent.  Her response is exactly what so many other bands have felt as far as memory serves.  Making the song even better is the fact that she didn’t just go the classless route and put any one person or label on blast.  She just made a blanket statement that still expressed what she and her band mates felt.  The manner in which the song starts off, eventually building to its peak makes the combination of music and lyrics hit even harder.

As short as it is, the title track from Eyes Set To Kill’s new album is a proper way to open the album.  It’s just one of the songs that listeners will find enjoyable.  Audiences that might be new to the music of Eyes Set To Kill will find that singer Alexis Rodriguez shares vocal duties with fellow band mate Cisko Miranda throughout the band’s new record.  The side-by-side of the two vocalists’ talents is certain to draw comparisons to certain other bands.  Yet the pairing still manages to help make the band’s music stand out at the same time.  One example of how the duo’s vocal pairing stands out comes early on in the album’s third track, ‘Lost and Forgotten.’  Miranda handles the song’s verses while he and Rodriguez share vocal duties in the song’s chorus.  Miranda exhibits quite the power in his vocals as he screams, “We are the scum of the Earth/The voice in the crowd/Of a thousand mouths/The ones who fight on/Because we’ll always fight on/Oh, we’ll never back down.”  That opening verse leaves no room for interpretation.  The song itself is a no nonsense, fist-pumping anthem much along the lines of Slipknot’s ‘Pulse of the Maggots’ or certain songs from Disturbed and other hard rock acts.  That is to say it is similar to those pieces in terms of its defiant lyrics.  It serves to carry on the long-standing tradition of hard rock bands flipping the proverbial bird to those that would look down their noses at the metal minions around the world.  For that fact alone, and for its equally impressive musical side, this song becomes another highlight to ESTK’s new album.

‘Lost and Forgotten’ is easily one of the best of the best from ESTK’s new record.  It should be emphasized here that it’s just one of the album’s highpoints.  There are so many songs from which listeners will find to call their favorite(s).  This critic will provide just one more song as another of that mass of high points offered in this record.  That song is ‘Infected.’  This song lyrically seems to come from a personal place, as with many of the album’s works.  Rodriguez sings on this song, “How does it feel on the outside/Looking inside/Till you feel rejected/I watch you to see what it looks like/On the inside/You’re the one infected.”  She goes on to sing with just as much anger, “Now/Now I feel ambitious/I’m giving away/Giving away your secrets/Just to watch you burn!”  This is a very telling verse.  There were obviously some hurt feelings by someone when these lines were written.  And set against the driving guitars and drums of her band mates, it would be no exaggeration to say that given the proper support, it could easily help to spread Eyes Set To Kill to the mainstream masses.  Those wanting to hear those other songs can do so now.  Masks is available in stores and online now.  It can be ordered direct from the Century Media Records store at http://www.cmdistro.com/Item/Eyes_Set_To_Kill_-_Masks_-PRE-ORDER-/46364?Aff=cus.  After ordering or buying the album, fans can find out about the band’s latest tour dates and news online at http://www.facebook.com/eyessettokill.  And to keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

One Of Filter’s Best Records “Comes Out” In Its New LP

Courtesy: Wind-Up Records

Filter’s first new record in three years is a solid release for the band.  Having undergone numerous lineup changes and seemingly almost as many label changes, this new record is a testament to the band’s ability to keep going and making music.  So many lesser bands would have already folded long before.  But Filter has taken the road less travelled and crafted what is arguably one of its best records to date in The Sun Comes Out Tonight.  The record largely keeps the energy flowing from start to finish, holding back only a small handful of times.  The times that the band holds back are so spread out that even when they do make themselves known, it luckily doesn’t take anything away from the rest of the album’s songs.

The energy starts flowing right from the album’s opener, ‘We Hate It When You Get What You Want.’  This slightly techno-infused song will take long-time audiences back to the days of the band’s 1995 debut record, Short Bus all while sounding quite a bit like Linkin Park.  There are those that might consider such a comparison to be musical heresy of sorts.  But if one hadn’t known that this was Filter, it would have been rather easy to think it was the latter of the two.  This isn’t such a bad thing though.  The song’s energy and front man Richard Patrick leads the onslaught, while drummer Jeff Friedl, guitarist Jonathan Radtke and bassist Phil Buckman come together to make a song that is a proper opener.  The drive of the guitar and drums make this song an obvious hit both on the record and in a live setting.  It would be easy to see any live audience taking in the song, fists high in the air, voices raised, singing along together.  Being that this is the first impression for the band since its last release three years ago, it is an excellent first impression for the band in its return.

The album’s next song, ‘What Do You Say’ takes over at the end of the LP’s opener and keeps the energy flowing at top level.  And just as with the album’s opener, it’s just as certain to have live audiences singing along and pumping their fists along as Patrick sings, “Hey, hey what do you say/It doesn’t really matter/Cause it’s all the same/Hey, hey what do you say/They’re just gonna blame us anyway.”  Lyrically, this song comes across in a slightly cryptic manner.  The really good thing about it though is that it isn’t just one of so many countless songs about one’s relationship issues.  And the equally powerful hooks and choruses make the song even better and another sure bet to be a fan hit.

The energy kicked up by the album’s first pair of songs pulls back just slightly in its third song, ‘Surprise.’  That pullback is only momentary, as the energy kicks back into high gear in the album’s rather electronica infused semi-title track, ‘What The Sun Come Out Tonight.’  And it doesn’t let up from there until the band gets just past its halfway mark in ‘First You Break It.’  Again, that reduced presence is only temporary as the band once again sheds its softer sound in favor of something with more kick in ‘Burn It’ and ‘Take That Knife Out Of My Back.’  By the time listeners reach the album’s final pair of songs, which is definitely the album’s calmest, they will be left almost breathless thanks to the musical rollercoaster on which they have been taken over the course of the album’s previous ten songs. By the time the last notes of ‘It’s Just You’ fade away, listeners will know that they have just experienced one more album that is more than deserving of being added to the ever growing list of the year’s best rock records.

Audiences will have the chance to experience the music from this brand new album as Filter will be hitting the road beginning next Thursday, April 18^th in support of it.  The band will perform at the Black Sheep in Colorado Springs, CO that day.  Filter’s North Carolina based fans will also get the chance to experience the band’s new music live as the band will make not one but two stops in North Carolina on its tour.  The first of the band’s NC dates will be at the Red Hat Amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, May 31^st.  The band’s second NC date is scheduled for Sunday, June 2^nd at the Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Fans can get a full listing of tour dates from the band’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/Filter.  Fans can also go to the band’s Facebook page to pre-order the album, which is due out June 4^th.

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