Tag Archives: iwrestledabearonce
[MUSIC NEWS] iwrestledabearonce “Road To Metal Fest” Tour
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE Announce Their Headline Tour
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE Announces Headlining US Dates
Merch Now Presents the “Road To Metal Fest” Tour
Having spent the better half of the last year on the road supporting acts such as OF MICE AND MEN and AS I LAY DYING, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE is proud to announce that they will be headlining their next US tour, “Road To Metal Fest”, presented by Merch Now. Kicking off on April 16th in Oklahoma City, OK the string of dates will lead into New England Metal and Hardcore Festival on April 21st and continue on until wrapping up in Flagstaff, AZ on May 1st. Alongside IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, the “Road To Metal Fest” tour features some of the quickest rising acts in the heavy music scene including MOLOTOV SOLUTION, GLASS CLOUD and THE GREENERY.
“We’re super excited about this tour and the opportunity to play New England Metal and Hardcore Fest again!” Says IWRESTLEDABEATONCE guitarist Steven Bradley. The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival is the largest, longest running and most successful metal festival in the United States. It has presented some of the biggest and up-and-coming artists in the metal and hardcore music genres over the past 13 years. “A lot of these shows are in venues we missed in 2011, so can’t wait to party with all you folks for the first time in a while. Come hang out with us and let’s make mistakes!”
Scott Lee, promoter for both the festival and the “Road To Metal Fest” tour adds, “I’m very proud of the line up for this tour and I feel very comfortable that this represents the festival at its core. I’m also excited to get the chance to extend this tour leading up to the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.” For more information on the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, visit: http://www.metalandhardcorefestival.com
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE recently released their sophomore album, Ruining It For Everybody which debuted at #75 on the Top 200 Billboard Charts. Highlighting both chilling screams and soothing melodies from vocalist Krysta Cameron, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE has mastered the combination of heavy music and glitch electronics. As put by Crave Online, “Iwrestledabearonce have created a shimmering piece of artistic genius.” You can also read what we here at LMP thought of the new record here: http://lmpmagazine.com/2011/08/18/music-iwrestledabearonce-ruining-it-for-everybody-review/
As usual, if you get the opportunity to, go catch this tour and support good music, either this tour or the New England Metal And Hardcore Fest. It’s very important we show love and appreciation to these bands we all love. -Jon Hole
“Road To Metal Fest” Tour
4/16 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
4/17 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theater
4/18 – Knoxville, TN @ Valarium
4/20 – Springfield, VA @ Empire
4/21 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium – New England Metal and Hardcore Festival
4/23 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar
4/24 – Evansville, IN @ Boney Junes
4/25 – Bloomington, IL @ The Castle Theater
4/26 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
4/27 – Iowa City, IA @ Blue Moose
4/29 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
4/30 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
5/01 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Cinnabar
For more information on IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, please visit:
http://www.iwrestledabearonce.com
http://www.facebook.com/iwrestledabearonce
http://www.twitter.com/iwabo
http://www.centurymedia.com
[MUSIC] Struc/tures – Divided By [REVIEW]
STRUC/TURES
Divided By
[Sumerian Records]
Verdict: 8/10
Uncompromisingly heavy. Uniquely devastating. Only a couple of words that come close to describing the new STRUC/TURES record Divided By. Mixing together the brutality of DESPISED ICON and mixing it with a touch of IWRESTLEDABEARONCE’s finer spazz out moments, actually sounding more like (THE) PLASMARIFLE than anything, Divided By, the bands debut, is an insane trip through metal and hardcore done without limits or constraints. Starting off the record with ‘At Las[T]‘ sets expectations high as everything seems set to explode from the intense energy. Without breathing, every track comes out swinging and leveling buildings in the process. The chaos is infectious as STRUC/TURES weaves a tight web of overly destructive songs. Tracks like ‘Paralyzed___’ excel at this. Thunderous drumming, deadly heavy breakdowns and yes, a poppy style chorus, all easily make this confusing and exciting at the same time, but never dull. The musical talent these kids from Toronto have is unmatched. They even have high profile friends from the great North exercising their vocal talents on ‘Clockwork’, an extremely brutal and direct attack on the listeners ear drums. Divided By could easily be the soundtrack to your next mental breakdown as well as what gets you through traffic or a shit day at work/school. Thank you STRUC/TURES for such an intense record. -by Jon Hole
Recommended Listening: ‘At Las[T]‘, ‘Clockwork’, ‘Tunnel Vision’ & ‘I.N.T.E.N.T.’
Guest appearances: Alex Erian (ex-Despised Icon) & Kevin McCaughey (Ion Dissonance) on ‘Clockwork’ and Frankie Palmerri (Emmure) on ‘Relapse; Signs.’
Produced by: Will Putney at the Machine Shop.
Release date: October 24, 2011
In conclusion…Struc/tures proves that “heavy” doesn’t mean “limited” with their debut full length Divided By. Mixing together the finer points of aggressive metal and hardcore with a Mr. Bungle sensibility, they are set to destroy.
SECOND OPINION REVIEW:
STRUC/TURES – Divided By
[Sumerian Records] – Verdict: 9/10
This was a great surprise. I had never heard of this band, so I went into Divided By with no expectations. The opening track, “At Las[T]”, makes new listeners assume these guys are some form of death metal, but Struc/tures quickly proves you wrong. Divided By is not only diverse and all over the place, it’s damn fun. It’s mix of chaos and melody works wonders, giving them a comfortable place on my playlist for weeks to come.
> Recommended Tracks: “Encounter…”, “Paralyzed___”, “Clockwork”, “Tunnel Vision”, “/”
[MUSIC] Design The Skyline – Nevaeh [REVIEW]
DESIGN THE SKYLINE
Nevaeh
[Victory Records]
Verdict: 4/10
DESIGN THE SKYLINE, minus all the internet hate since the band premiered their video and their “We’ve just been signed to Victory” intro video (which is absolutely horrifying) are a young band from Corpus Christi, TX that have serious identity issues. It would be easy to write a slam piece here, but i don’t think it’s necessary as it has already been said a million times over already. If you aren’t familiar, then go check out a few pictures of these kids…speaks for itself. Musically, the 10 songs that make up Nevaeh aren’t all that terrible, just a little sloppy. There are moments that make the ears perk a little, like the driving metal riff and stomp on ‘Destroyer’, but the novelty of listening wears off quickly and becomes even more annoying and boring as the album plays on. One of the 2 gruff vocalists has an absolutely annoying growl that begins to grate on the nerves to the point of irritation. The vocals have also been severely filtered and altered, meaning in a live setting they will either lip sync, or just completely blow ass. The drummer however, is without a doubt the shining star here as his drumming is precise and amazing. As a fan of heavy music in general, i appreciate bands like BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and IWRESTLEDABEARONCE that step outside of the norm and try to progress their genres. What DESIGN THE SKYLINE have managed to accomplish here is one giant clusterfuck. It jumps around with a forced feel and makes one feel like they are listening to a overly talented high school band. Nothing about the songs on Nevaeh hold any real merit or passion and that’s a sad thing. It’s the passion that makes this style of music amazing. Recently Victory Records told an amazing young Atlanta band that they sounded “too young” for them to sign them. Dismissed them. Then to hear this and know that just blows the mind. One could hope that through touring these kids find themselves and tighten up and write a real record, or that they just break up and end up another Victory Records one album fling. –by Jon Hole
[MUSIC] Iwrestledabearonce – Ruining It For Everybody [REVIEW]
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE
Ruining It For Everybody
[Century Media Records]
Verdict: 7/10
When this album was being recorded, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE made some kind of promise that the new material would be a different direction for the band. Upon playing Ruining It For Everybody, I couldn’t help but question what they meant exactly. This album sounds more or less like their other stuff, but that’s OK but me. IWRESTLEDABEARONCE are one of those highly entertaining bands to watch live. They are much better that way than they are on CD. It’s not that they transfer their sound badly or anything, but this is a band that is just bursting with energy, making their stage performance high up there in the ranks. On recording, you can’t really get that feeling. Instead, you can sense that they have screws loose, but it’s just not the same. Nevertheless, Ruining It For Everybody is a step up from the band’s last full length. It’s not a big step forward, but I did find this one a bit more entertaining. I definitely appreciated the clean vocals explored more thoroughly during this record. The electronics also seemed more on the front lines here than on the last record. Basically, what it comes down to, is Ruining It For Everybody is more interesting because of the territory it dives into during this record. I’m curious to see how it transfers on stage, because the band does show some more slow play work during some of these tracks. – by Nathaniel Lay
(yup, it’s a…) Second Opinion
Verdict: 8.5/10
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE have been one of the new breed of bands that isn’t afraid to be, whatever. With their self titled 2007 EP they showed us merely a taste of what was to come. 2009′s It’s All Happening was an exercise in sonic experimentation and general ‘mind-fuckery’. 2010 gave the world a remix cd, which seemed to be a foreshadowing of the bands mindset. Enter 2011. Ruining It For Everybody is released and the bands take on MR. BUNGLE meets THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN brand of chaos is expanded upon. Electronics are used more than ever and it only adds to wonderful mess. Krysta’s vocals are more devastating than before, and now we are treated to her other side, that amazing clean, soulful voice tempts and soars. Tracks like ‘This Head Music Makes My Eyes Rain’ and ‘It Is “Bro” Isn’t It?’ show this side in vivid detail. Her vocals reminding one of Cristina Scabbia of LACUNA COIL, just rawer and, surprisingly, more sultry. On “Bro” she goes from evil demon to sultry siren in the blink of an eye. It never gets tiring or old. Live, as with every other record, one can imagine this would absolutely kill. Ruining It For Everybody is an unrelenting masterpiece of epic proportions. It’s an unapologetic mind fuck meant to make you think, meant to be a welcome relief from the over-saturated scene that seems to be too concerned with it’s hair and makeup than making challenging music. IWABO have managed to craft music that’s dangerous and annoyingly fun. Included on the iTunes release is an incredible cover of MUSE’s ‘Uprising’. The cover was originally released earlier this year on the Homefront: Songs For The Resistance compilation. It fits nicely here and ends this awesome cd off on a high note. Ruining It For Everybody only ruins it for the fakes and half hearted that only wish they had balls this big. -by Jon Hole
[REVIEW] Take Action – Volume 10
TAKE ACTION
Volume 10 (2011 Tour)
[Hopeless Records / Sub City]
Verdict: 9/10
The last Take Action compilation reminded me of the recent Warped Tour discs in the sense that they were composed mostly of already released tracks. This made them mostly uninteresting and unworthy of purchase. However, this year’s Take Action volume is quite great and deserving your attention. Why? Well, a good 75% of these songs are previously unreleased or remixed, making them new to the listener. Amongst the brand new tracks, you’ll find Silverstein, Bayside, Four Year Strong, Chiodos, I Set My Friends On Fire, Former Thieves, Amely, Sparks the Rescue, Andrew Jackson Johad, Aficionado, and Fake Problems. Even better is that each of these new songs are great! Then, for those electronic lovers, you have a bevy of remixed tracks. If this is your sort of thing, then turn your attention to the remixes of Circa Survive, I See Stars, and Woe Is Me above the others. Amongst the acoustic version of older songs, you’ll find The Dangerous Summer, The Ready Set, We Are The In Crowd, and a couple others. The only real odd moment on this compilation comes from the cover songs. All Time Low chose to record an acoustic cover of “Alejandro” (originally by Lady Gaga), which seems like a strange choice. However, it came out great. You will also hear The Wonder Years cover The Weakerthens on the second disc of this volume. Overall, this is an excellent compilation that has a lot of cool stuff to offer fans of multiple genres. And, of course, the money spent purchasing this will go to a good cause, so bonus! – by Nathaniel Lay
