Jackyl at Arizona Bike Week 2025 at WestWorld of Scottsdale
2025-04-02 21:00 - 23:30 (America/Phoenix) | WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 North Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
A raunchy, fun-loving, and hard-hitting rock band led by chainsaw-wielding frontman Jesse James Dupree, Georgia’s Jackyl emerged in the early 1990s with a sound rooted in Southern hard rock and no-frills heavy metal. The group’s eponymous 1992 debut album was certified platinum on the strength of the rock radio hits “Down on Me,” “When Will It Rain,” and “The Lumberjack,” the latter of which featured Dupree‘s infamous chainsaw solo. Jackyl’s mainstream success eventually waned, but through heavy touring and the releases of well-received efforts like Best in Show (2012), Rowyco (2016), and 30 Coming In Hot (2022), they have maintained a dedicated following that few other bands from the era can claim.
Jackyl was founded in Kennesaw, Georgia in 1991 by vocalist Jesse James Dupree, guitarist Jeff Worley, drummer Chris Worley, bassist Tom Bettini, and guitarist Jimmy Stiff. A shared fondness for AC/DC and Lynyrd Skynyrd led the five-piece to start crafting their own blend of hard rock and Southern boogie around their native state. Record executives got hip to their live show, which included chain saws, among other things, and soon the band signed to Geffen. Jackyl’s 1992 self-titled debut quickly found favor with hard rock audiences through the singles “When Will It Rain,” “I Stand Alone,” and “Down on Me.” However, the most attention was drawn by “The Lumberjack,” an ode to burly chainsaw-wielders that witnessed a power tool solo by Dupree. His chainsaw abilities became their recognized gimmick, and the like-minded Ted Nugent took the band on the road. Jackyl’s sophomore long-player, Push Comes to Shove, appeared in 1994 and peaked at number 46 on the Billboard 200. Recorded in Vancouver with Juno Award-winning producer Bruce Fairbairn, the album’s title track charted both at home and in the U.K. After playing Woodstock ’94 and touring with ZZ Top and Aerosmith, the band parted ways with Geffen and moved to Mayhem, marking the occasion with a live album before leaving the label only a year later for a jump to Sony. Arriving in 1997, Cut the Crap got some traction on rock radio — the single “Locked and Loaded” featured guest vocals from AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson — but was ultimately overshadowed by popular alternative rock acts. Sony dropped Jackyl, so they signed to Shimmering Tone and released the ancillary B-sides collection, Stayin’ Alive.
Dupree issued a solo album, Foot Fetish, ahead of the release of the band’s fifth full-length effort. Arriving in 2002, Relentless featured a new lineup — Bettini and Stiff departed, and former Brother Cane guitarist Roman Glick was brought into the fold — and saw the group working once again with Brian Johnson. An eight-year hiatus preceded the release of 2010’s When Moonshine and Dynamite Collide, which was released on Dupree‘s own Mighty Loud Records and featured a cover of Janis Joplin‘s “Mercedes Benz” and a lyrically retooled cover of “Just Like a Negro,” originally by the funk rock band Mother’s Finest. The band issued Best in Show two years later, which included the mainstream rock-charting single “Favorite Sin.” The reliably rude and rowdy Rowyco appeared in 2016, and in 2022, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary with the aptly named 30 Coming In Hot. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi

Stone Temple Pilots at Arizona Bike Week 2025 at WestWorld of Scottsdale
2025-04-03 21:00 - 23:30 | WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 North Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Stone Temple Pilots embark upon a new sonic adventure with Perdida, the band’s first-ever acoustic album. It includes 10 deeply personal songs that weave introspective lyrics together with unexpected instruments to take listeners on an emotional and musical journey through letting go and starting over.
Bassist Robert DeLeo says Perdida (Spanish for ‘loss’) shows how music has helped them process grief, search for meaning and, ultimately, create something beautiful from the pain. “When I’ve gone through things in my life, I’ve found that sitting down and having an honest conversation with my guitar is the best therapy.”
“Recording an acoustic album like Perdida is something the band has wanted to do for many years,” says drummer Eric Kretz. “When Robert and Dean started playing their new songs for us during our tour last year, we knew right away they would be perfect for an acoustic album.”
Writing lyrics for Perdida meant exposing himself like never before, says singer Jeff Gutt, who joined the band in 2017. “It’s an emotionally honest album and I needed to approach it that way for these songs to resonate.”
To record Perdida, the quartet assembled at Kretz’s Bomb Shelter Studios in February. The key to making the album, Dean explains, was finding a way to say more with less. “Everything you hear serves a purpose, from the space in the arrangements to the different instruments. We only added things that served the songs.”

Mudvayne at Arizona Bike Week 2025 at WestWorld of Scottsdale
2025-04-04 21:00 - 23:30 | WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 North Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Heavy metal quartet Mudvayne formed in Peoria, IL, in 1996, its members adopting the unusual pseudonyms sPaG (M. McDonough) (drums), Gurrg (G. Tribbett) (guitar), and Kud (Chad Gray) (vocals). The group’s original bassist was replaced after two years by Ryknow (Ryan Martinie). During their development, the bandmembers began the practice of applying bizarre makeup. After self-releasing their first album, Kill, I Oughta, they were signed by Epic Records and recorded their major-label debut, L.D. 50, which was released in August 2000 shortly after the end of their first national tour opening for Slipknot. The album later went gold and earned Mudvayne the first-ever MTV2 Video Award at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. Mudvayne continued touring and reissued their self-released debut EP, Kill, I Oughta, in November 2001 as The Beginning of All Things to End. A year later the band returned with its official follow-up, The End of All Things to Come, which was recorded at Minneapolis’ Pachyderm Studios with Tool producer David Bottrill. With a new album came new personas, this time as space aliens. The bandmembers changed their names accordingly, taking the new monikers of Chüd (Kud), Güüg (Gurrg), R-üD (Ryknow), and Spüg (sPaG). They embarked on a European tour, arriving back stateside in July to join the Summer Sanitarium shed tour, featuring such heavyweights as Metallica and Linkin Park. In 2005, the band released Lost and Found, their third album for Epic. In September 2007, Mudvayne announced they would allow fans to vote on the band’s website to determine the track selection for the compilation By the People, for the People, released the following month. The all new full-length New Game arrived in November 2008, followed six months later by an eponymous 2009 effort. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi

Marilyn Manson at Arizona Bike Week 2025 at WestWorld of Scottsdale
2025-04-05 21:00 - 23:30 | WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 North Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Marilyn Manson is a perpetually controversial presence and one of the key figures in aggressive, boundary-challenging rock music. Manson became a mainstream antihero in the 1990s — much to the chagrin of conservative politicians, religious leaders, and concerned parents — ruffling feathers and shocking the masses with his dark brand of glam-influenced industrial metal, outspoken social commentary, and incendiary live shows. The self-proclaimed “Antichrist Superstar,” he peddled a disquieting vision of society that focused on sex, drugs, violence, politics, and organized religion, which pushed many of his singles — including “The Dope Show,” “The Beautiful People,” and a cover of Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — into the upper reaches of the modern rock charts during the late ’90s and early 2000s. During his band’s commercial peak, the conceptual triptych of Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals, and Holy Wood won him a legion of die-hard fans while also attracting media attention and cultural notoriety. Following 2003’s The Golden Age of Grotesque, Manson entered his next era with a trio of releases that marked a downturn in mainstream popularity and sales. However, at the turn of the following decade, he staged a late-era comeback with a string of critically acclaimed albums: The Pale Emperor (2015), Heaven Upside Down (2017), and We Are Chaos (2020). After a series of abuse allegations came to light and he was dropped by his label and longtime manager, Manson remained out of the public eye until 2024, when he returned with his 12th album, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1.
Born Brian Warner, Manson was raised in Canton, Ohio. At the age of 18, he relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida, where he worked as a music journalist. In 1989, he became friends with guitarist and fellow outsider Scott Mitchell Putesky; the two soon decided to form a band, with Putesky rechristening himself Daisy Berkowitz and Warner adopting the name Marilyn Manson. With the addition of bassist Gidget Gein and keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy, the group — originally dubbed Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids — began self-releasing cassettes and playing gigs, their gothic stage shows notable for Manson’s elaborate makeup and homemade special effects. Jettisoning their drum machine in favor of Sara Lee Lucas, the band’s sound began taking on a harder edge, and by 1992 they were among the most popular and notorious acts in the South Florida underground.
In 1993, Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor came calling, offering both a contract with his Nothing Records label as well as the chance to open for NIN the following spring; Manson accepted both offers, and the group’s debut LP, Portrait of an American Family, appeared during the summer of 1994. With new bassist Twiggy Ramirez replacing Gein, the band’s notoriety soared. Most infamously, during an appearance in Salt Lake City, Manson ripped apart a copy of the Book of Mormon while on-stage. The Church of Satan’s founder, Anton LaVey, also bestowed upon him the title of “Reverend,” further stoking conservatives’ fears. Manson’s cult following continued to swell, and the band broke into the mainstream with the release of 1995’s Smells Like Children EP, propelled by their enduring hit cover of Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” Berkowitz quit a short time later and was replaced by guitarist Zim Zum, and the revised group saw their next LP, 1996’s conceptual opus Antichrist Superstar, debut at the number three spot on the pop album charts and sell nearly two million copies in the U.S. alone. Produced by Trent Reznor, the multi-platinum Antichrist Superstar became the band’s most influential and defining statement. As Manson’s popularity grew, so did the furor surrounding him. His concerts were regularly picketed by civic groups, and his music was the subject of widespread attacks from right-wing and religious fronts.
Manson continued to court controversy in 1998 with the glam-inspired Mechanical Animals, which included cover art depicting the singer as a naked androgynous alien. The album became the band’s first to top the charts and spawned the singles “The Dope Show” and “I Don’t Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me).” While the resulting tour yielded a live album, Last Tour on Earth, the trek was cut short in early 1999 after the band was erroneously blamed for influencing the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre. Out of respect for the public, the group retreated from the spotlight and returned to the studio.

Machine Head + In Flames + Lacuna Coil at The Van Buren
2025-04-07 18:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Very few bands make it to their 11th album. Even fewer do so with the same fire and fury that defined their early years. But Machine Head isn’t just any band. For over three decades, the personification of determination, Founder/Vocalist/Guitarist Robb Flynn, has led Machine Head on an uncompromising path – one fueled by defiance, reinvention, and a relentless pursuit of evolution. Now, with ‘UNATØNED’ (out April 25, 2025 on Nuclear Blast), they’ve once again sharpened their sound into its most direct and impactful form to date.
Determined to challenge himself, Flynn set strict songwriting parameters for ‘UNATØNED,’ shorter, more focused songs with a decidedly American feel, unconventional key changes, and shifting structures that break expectations. That self-imposed restraint resulted in a lean, unrelenting album that captures Machine Head at their most potent.
The album drips with melancholy melodies, and yet hammers with bludgeoning riffs, soars with anthemic sing-a-longs of love-lost and sadness, to bellowing power and undeniable confidence.
‘UNATØNED’ is Machine Head proving once again that longevity in metal isn’t about comfort – it’s about taking risks, standing firm in conviction, and refusing to stagnate. Eleven albums deep, they remain as fierce, relevant, and unstoppable as ever.

In Flames represent the best of metal’s past, present, and future. In Flames are as vital and even more energized today than when they unleashed classics like Come Clarity and Clayman in decades past.
The band built a stunning reputation with devastating, crowd-moving, inspired performances around the world at every major rock and metal festival imaginable, headlining multiple treks, and touring with the likes of Slipknot, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Killswitch Engage, Within Temptation, and Lamb Of God. They regularly headline some of the biggest stages and festivals in the world.
Foregone, the furious fourteenth studio album, combines the greatest aggressive, metallic, and melodic strengths of their landmark records with the seasoned songwriting of their postmodern era.
A sense of pride, accomplishment, and continued vitality are evident every time the band takes the stage, and all over Foregone. Melodic death metal pioneers and innovative purveyors of groove, the artistry, influence, stature, and future of In Flames loom as large as the heavy metal horizon itself.

If you know Lacuna Coil then you’ll already be aware that every album entry in their storied career is more than just a sound. Each one is a richly textured soundtrack to a specific time and a place. With Sleepless Empire, that place is dark, cinematic, and unmistakably true to the unique characteristics that have given Lacuna Coil such a celebrated entry in the annals of heavy music. As founding songwriter-in-chief Marco Coti Zelati, aka Maki explains, while the writing process for Lacuna Coil’s tenth studio record began in December, the record’s real creative birth coincided with the release of 2022’s Comalies XX, a 20th-anniversary reimagining of their landmark 2002 record, Comalies. It was more than an epic and rapturously received reinvention of that 21st century classic. It would serve to align the past, the present, and the future of Lacuna Coil as they take their first steps into the fourth decade of their remarkable career. And from the colossal refrains of album opener The Siege to the wickedly catchy I Wish You Were Dead and the irrepressibly classic feel of Sleepless Empire’s title track, there’s no mistaking the confidence of Lacuna Coil’s latest, and it has its share of surprises, too. They come in the form of two very special guest appearances from none other than New Years Day banshee Ash Costello on their epic In The Mean Time and an ear-splittingly over-the-top contribution from Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe on Hosting the Shadow.

UNEARTH are nothing short of standard-bearers and keepers of the faith for American metalcore. They were the band born in the breakdown who never wavered from their love for European death metal melodicism, supercharged by American thrash and hardcore. Now, 25 years into a career that’s seen the Massachusetts mob play innumerable gigs and massive festivals on six continents, sell hundreds of thousands of records, and inspire some of the most important bands in extreme metal today, they remain a force to contend with. On album number eight, The Wretched; The Ruinous, UNEARTH not merely continues to amp-up their metal meets hardcore intensities, but they also exceed themselves with a record that incorporates elements of classic UNEARTH offerings dating back to 2004’s “breakthrough” The Oncoming Storm, while exploring beyond the recent back-to-basics promise of 2018’s Extinction(s).
For UNEARTH’s founding mainstays, Phipps and guitarist Buz McGrath, it feels like the beginning of a new chapter. “Buz took the entire pandemic to write these songs,” says Trevor. “He pushed himself to get out of his comfort zone and explore what UNEARTH is, both past and present. Buz adding these new elements and killer song structures inspired me to be more diverse vocally. The Wretched; the Ruinous is still UNEARTH, but it’s also the most dynamic record we’ve ever done.”
UNEARTH’s storm isn’t about to let up any time soon. Catch UNEARTH on tour now.

Poppy at Marquee Theatre
2025-04-22 20:00 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281, United States
Los Angeles-based performance artist-turned-pop star Poppy makes music that deftly balances art and commerce as she takes on multiple genres — from metal to pop and all points in between — while never losing her essential Poppy-ness in the process. She gained a substantial following on social media with her early videos, the subjects of which grew ever more absurd and bizarre. When she began making music for Diplo‘s Mad Decent label, Poppy’s commentary on social media and fame became even more meta; the self-referential electro-pop of 2017’s Poppy.Computer and the forays into nu-metal and dance-pop on the following year’s Am I a Girl? further blurred the project’s boundaries. In 2020, she boldly re-branded with the critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated I Disagree, which fully adopted the pop-metal direction she had been teasing. Following 2021’s EAT EP, she released the live-to-tape Flux, which focused her riff-heavy execution even further. More genre explorations include 2023’s industrial-leaning Zig and 2024’s Negative Spaces, which dips into synth pop and punk.
Poppy emerged on YouTube in 2014 with a video of her eating cotton candy in silence. Viewers were baffled, yet it was just the start of Poppy’s brand of smart millennial theater. Wide-eyed, platinum blonde, and decked out in precious throwback outfits, Poppy’s calculated wholesome persona, budding style icon status, and tongue-in-cheek clips — wherein she filmed herself reading the Bible for nearly an hour, repeating her name for ten minutes, or inflating a plastic rabbit — combined the satirical, the subversive, and the just plain weird. In early 2015, she began releasing music, starting with a Lana Del Rey-ified version of Mac DeMarco‘s “My Kind of Woman.” Her first official single, “Everybody Wants to Be Poppy,” arrived months later. Signing with Island Records, she released the follow-up single “Lowlife” (and a remix featuring Travis Mills), a reggae-tinged jam that would serve as the first track on her debut EP, Bubblebath. Released in February 2016, the four-song set of catchy dance-pop showcased her musical range and sensibility, attracting comparisons to Grimes, Icona Pop, Melanie Martinez, and Charli XCX. That October, she issued the experimental ambient album 3:36 (Music to Sleep To), a collaboration with polysomnographists from the Washington University School of Medicine that was designed to promote healthy sleep and dreaming. A year later, Poppy’s official debut album, Poppy.Computer (Mad Decent), arrived and peaked within the Top 40 on both the Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts. On 2018’s Am I a Girl?, Poppy worked with Diplo, Grimes, and Lady Gaga collaborator Garibay on a set of songs that incorporated mainstream pop and nu-metal sounds and explored fame, fashion, and identity. While promoting the effort, she began incorporating increasingly heavy elements into her music, inspired by Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie. In a similar vein as Am I a Girl? selections such as “Play Destroy” and “X,” Poppy’s 2019 single “Concrete” featured speedy metal riffs and pounding drums, adopting a sugar-sweet attack similar to Babymetal‘s. This new direction was fully realized on her third studio set I Disagree, which arrived in early 2020. Her first release on Sumerian Records, the album was also her first to chart on the Billboard 200. The brash, pop-metal style of I Disagree was a hit with critics and fans alike, resulting in an expanded deluxe edition, I Disagree (more). She continued an especially prolific period with Music to Scream To — the soundtrack to her graphic novel Poppy’s Inferno — and a holiday EP, A Very Poppy Christmas. To cap off her banner year, the I Disagree album cut “Bloodmoney” received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, making Poppy the first female artist ever to be nominated in that category. The next year at the actual Grammy Awards ceremony, she performed a new track — the scream-packed “Eat” — which landed on EAT (NXT Soundtrack). Arriving a month after the release of her cover of Jack Off Jill‘s “Fear of Dying,” the aggressive EP also featured the track “Say Cheese.”
At the tail-end of 2021, Poppy released her fourth album Flux. At a compact nine songs, it was her most focused offering to date, blending numerous hard rock styles on a straightforward and cohesive attack produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (NIN, Deafheaven). Led by the defiant and unrelenting single “FYB,” 2022’s Republic/Lava-issued Stagger EP paired thrashy, punk-metal riffs with melancholic alt-pop. Poppy started 2023 with the industrial metal-leaning “Church Outfit,” followed by a searing rendition of Canadian nu-metallers Kittie‘s 1999 track “Spit.” She also teamed with Stu Brooks and Danny Elfman for “They’ll Just Love You.” Capping a busy year, she joined PVRIS for a joint tour before the release of her fifth full-length, Zig (Sumerian), which featured additional singles such as the industrial-pop “Motorbike” and the vulnerable “Hard.”
Poppy started 2024 with a collaboration with alt-rock group Bad Omens, on the song “V.A.N.” (“Violence Against Nature”), toured both as a headliner and opening act, then ended the year with her fifth album Negative Spaces. On it, she expands her already wide-ranging approach to include ’80s-inspired synth pop and pop-punk while welcoming collaborations with Knocked Loose and Bring Me the Horizon‘s Jordan Fish.

98KUPD Presents UFEST 2025 at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-05-03 14:30 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
Over the course of the past several years, each of A Day To Remember’s releases have hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock, Indie and/or Alternative Charts. They’ve also sold more than a million units, racked up over 800 million Spotify streams and 500 million YouTube views, two Gold-selling albums and singles (and one Silver album in the UK) and sold out entire continental tours (including their own curated Self Help Festival), amassing a global fanbase whose members number in the millions. All of which explains why Rolling Stone called them “An Artist You Need To Know.” In other words, their creative process has worked and worked well. But for new album Bad Vibrations, the Ocala, Florida-based quintet switched gears and headed for uncharted territory.
“We completely changed the way we wrote, recorded and mixed this album,” says vocalist Jeremy McKinnon. “It was one of the most unique recording experiences we’ve ever had. We rented a cabin in the Colorado mountains and just wrote with the five of us together in a room, which was the polar opposite of the last three albums we’ve made. We just let things happen organically and in the moment. I think it forever changed the way we make music.”
Bad Vibrations debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top Album Sales Chart. It was also the #1 album in Australia, #6 in the UK and #7 in Germany.

Seether stands for passion, authenticity, and genuine connection, with enduring anthems like “Words as Weapons,” “Broken,” “Fake It,” and more. With over seven million monthly listeners on Spotify, the band’s legacy remains strong. Their ninth album, The Surface Seems So Far, showcases their resilience and creativity, continuing a career of five gold/platinum albums and numerous Billboard Rock Airplay Top 10 hits.
A staple at major rock festivals, Seether has toured with Breaking Benjamin, Avenged Sevenfold, Nickelback, and Papa Roach. Their acclaimed 2020 album, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum, produced three No. 1 songs and kept their Vicennial: 2 Decades of Seether on the charts.
The Surface Seems So Far kicks off aggressively with “Judas Mind” while balancing moments of melancholy like “Regret.” It features dynamic songs such as “Illusion,” “Lost All Control,” “Same Mistakes,” and “Dead on the Vine,” blending vitriol and vulnerability. Seether’s lineup includes Shaun Morgan, Dale Stewart, John Humphrey, and newest member Corey Lowery, enhancing their powerful sound.

First impressions last a lifetime. Wolfgang Van Halen has prepared a lifetime to make his first impression with his solo band Mammoth WVH. The songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist worked tirelessly on material that would become his debut album. Playing every instrument and singing each and every note, his music presents a personal and powerful perspective, balancing memorable hooks and tight technicality. As many times as audiences have experienced his talent alongside the likes of Tremonti, Clint Lowery, and of course, Van Halen, Wolfgang prepares to step into the spotlight with his own brand – Mammoth WVH – for the very first time now.
“The name Mammoth is really special to me.” says Wolf. “Not only was it the name of Van Halen before it became Van Halen, but my father was also the lead singer. Ever since my dad told me this, I always thought that when I grew up, I’d call my own band Mammoth, because I loved the name so much. I’m so thankful that my father was able to listen to, and enjoy the music I made. Nothing made me happier than seeing how proud he was that I was continuing the family legacy.”

Brotherhood lasts forever.    No matter what happens, those bonds endure in memories and moments. We Came As Romans hold a similar link between them. After nearly 15 years together, countless sold out shows, critical acclaim, and over 250 million streams, the Michigan quintet—Joshua Moore [guitar], Dave Stephens [vocals], Lou Cotton [guitar], Andy Glass [bass], and David Puckett [drums]—weather their darkest time and emerge stronger in the name of a fallen brother and member: Kyle Pavone.
The group soldier ahead with a sixth full-length opus befitting of his memory.
After Kyle’s death in 2018, they made a careful decision to push forward, returning to the road with Bullet For My Valentine before gathering themselves in the studio with longtime collaborator Nick Sampson [Asking Alexandria, Born Of Osiris] and seeking perspective from Drew Fulk [Motionless In White, Lil Peep].
We Came As Romans introduce this next chapter with a pair of singles, “Carry The Weight” and “From The First Note.” Evocative clean guitar echoes at the beginning of “Carry The Weight” before giving way to a hammering groove and cathartic screams that culminate on a hypnotic chant—one of the band’s most irresistible.
Meanwhile, “From The First Note” hinges on thick guitars as it delivers a fast and furious elegy. Steamrolling forward on a punk gallop, the chorus rings out, “I can’t replace you.”
In the end, the brotherhood between We Came As Romans lives on.

Gifts From The Holy Ghost, Dorothy Martin’s third studio album as frontwoman for the pseudonymous, rock band Dorothy, is the album she’s always wanted, and has perhaps been destined to make. Born from a sense of divine, spiritual urgency, it’s Dorothy’s most bombastic and victoriously rock and roll work yet.
While the band’s first, irreverently named album ROCKISDEAD, was made on a combination of whiskey and heartbreak—inspiring Rolling Stone to name them one of rock’s most exciting new acts, and JAY-Z to sign them to his label Roc Nation—Gifts was built on sobriety, health and spiritualism, in a way that reverses the clichéd ‘good girl gone bad narrative’.
Balanced on a great rock and roll spectrum, encompassing everything from swampy blues to ‘90s alternative, on Gifts, Dorothy has fulfilled her purpose as an artist, entertainer and spiritual being. She’s conquered darkness with light, numbness with feeling, disharmony with unity—all while delivering one of this year’s most fun rock and roll records.

The Funeral Portrait is a loud emotional rock outfit from Atlanta, Georgia with a mix of theatrics and Devotion to their passion for loud uncompromising anthemic music.
The Funeral Portrait stands to represent the outcasts from all walks of life. To offer a sense of community, a place to belong, & a space where they can feel safe & accepted for their differences. We all grew up “the weird kid” who was saved by music and alternative culture, so we feel obligated to return this to the younger generation. This message is shouted to the masses through our over-the-top theatrics & dramatic, almost blown out, presentation.

Yelawolf at Marquee Theatre
2025-05-10 19:00 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281, United States
Continuing a wild ride from humble beginnings in Gadsden, Alabama to the forefront of popular culture, Yelawolf certainly has a lot to say. The Nashville-based multi-platnum chart-topping artist, entrepreneur, and Slumerican Founder has consistently asserted himself as an outlier and outlaw without comparison. He catalyzed his breakthrough via Radioactive (rated a coveted “4.5-out-of-5 stars” by The Source). The gold-certified Love Story bowed at #3 on the Billboard 200 highlighted by platinum singles “Till It’s Gone” and “Best Friend” [feat. Eminem]. He maintained his momentum with Trial By Fire and Ghetto Cowboy, spawning the platnum-certified “You and Me.” He emerged as the rare artst versatile enough to deliver The Slumdon Bridge EP with Ed Sheeran and Psycho White EP with Travis Barker. A$AP Rocky, Big Boi, blink-182, Eminem, Juicy J, Korn, and Tech N9ne have sought him out for verses. His albums have welcomed Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wynonna Judd, Kid Rock, Killer Mike, Raekwon, and Diplo. Frequent collaborator Jelly Roll pledged his allegiance with Slumerican ink! Yelawolf has built Slumerican into a worldwide merchandise empire and his Creek Water Whiskey into a nationally distributed spirits brand, performed on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, guested on MTV’s Ridiculousness, appeared in Peanut Butter Falcon, and toured with Deftones and more. However, he ups the ante in 2024 with his first-ever double album—War Story: Trunk Muzik 4Ever and War Story: Michael Wayne

Halsey at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-05-12 19:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
Halsey has amassed more than 31 billion combined global streams to date, including more than 12.5 billion U.S. streams, and sold nearly 17 million adjusted album units worldwide.  Their most recent album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Current Album Sales and Top Alternative Albums charts in 2021. It follows 2020’s Manic, which also entered the Top Current Album Sales chart at No. 1. Manic was the first album of 2020 to be certified Platinum in the U.S. and is now 2x Platinum. 2017’s hopeless fountain kingdom was recently certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA.  Halsey continues to push creative boundaries, exerting an influence and impact beyond music. Her first book, I Would Leave Me If I Could: A Collection of Poetry, debuted on The New York Times Best Sellers list in 2020. Named as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020, they have won over 20 awards, including an AMA, MTV VMA, GLAAD Award, the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Hal David Starlight Award and a CMT Music Award. Halsey recently introduced about-face, a multi-dimensional makeup line for made for everyone. Halsey continues to speak up for important causes such as disenfranchised youth, women’s rights, mental health and the LGBTQ community.

Del Water Gap is the solo project of songwriter S. Holden Jaffe. Jaffe currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and is inspired by “romantic encounters and dimly lit rooms.”

The Warning draw strength and power from a lifetime of sisterhood and music. The Mexico-born sister trio—Daniela “Dany” [guitar, lead vocals, piano], Paulina “Pau” [drums, vocals, piano], and Alejandra “Ale” Villarreal [bass, piano, backing vocals]—have logged thousands of miles on the road, generated hundreds of millions of streams, and left countless fans in awe. All of this tireless work and dedication has shaped and sharpened their sound with knifepoint precision, arming alternative anthems with universally catchy hooks and an uncompromising hard rock kick. They initially made waves with a string of independent releases, paving the way for their acclaimed 2022 full-length offering ERROR. Between performing alongside Muse, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Royal Blood, The Pretty Reckless, and Three Days Grace, the band ignited MTV’s Extended Play Stage at the 2023 MTV VMAs. Representative of their cultural impact, Pepsi even notably chose them as the face of Pepsi Black in Mexico. Moreover, they emerged as the rare force who could comfortably appear in features by Vanity Fair, People, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour as well as on Metallica’s star-studded Blacklist compilation—placing their cover of “Enter Sandman” [with Alessia Cara] shoulder-to-shoulder with contributions from Ghost, St. Vincent, Chris Stapleton, IDLES, and Weezer. Now, The Warning embrace their destiny on their 2024 full-length album, Keep Me Fed [LAVA/Republic Records] out on June 28th.

Disturbed + Daughtry at Phoenix Arena
2025-05-15 18:30 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Emerging out of Chicago with an insidious, infectious, and inimitable vision without comparison, Disturbed have quietly dominated hard rock on their own terms. It’s why they’ve claimed a place at the forefront of 21st century rock with ales of over 17 million units, nearly 14 billion streams, and sold out shows around the globe. The band have six RIAA album certifications, and singles from all eight albums have reached the top ten of the Mainstream Rock charts. The band have recently launched their new era with “I Will Not Break,” the band’s first release on their own label, Mother Culture Records. The two-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated quartet have notched five consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 for Believe, Ten Thousand Fists, Indestructible, and Asylum—the only hard rock group other than Metallica to accomplish this feat. Since their 5x-platinum debut The Sickness in 2000, they have built a bulletproof catalog highlighted by a procession of smashes, including the 2x-platinum “Stupify,” “Inside The Fire,” and “Land of Confusion,” 2x-platinum “Stricken,” 8x-platinum “Down With The Sickness,” and 7x-platinum “The Sound of Silence,” to name a few. The latter notably received a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of “Best Rock Performance” as the band earned “Best Rock Artist” at the 2017 iHeartRadioMusic Awards. Still, Disturbed never stop, and their most recent 2022 album Divisive featured their 17th #1 at Rock Radio “Hey You,” “Unstoppable,” and more.

Daughtry, one of the most visible and best-selling rock bands of the 21st century, has sold out concerts across theglobe. Their debut album, the self-titled Daughtry, was the top-selling album of 2007 and was the fastest selling rock debut album in Soundscan history. It was also nominated for 4 GRAMMY® Awards and won 4 American MusicAwards and 7 Billboard Music Awards, including Album of the Year. Subsequent albums, Leave ThisTown (2009), Break The Spell (2011), and Baptized (2013) have all gone Platinum, with Cage To Rattle (2018) certified Gold. In 2021, Daughtry released their album Dearly Beloved, which marked a return to their rock roots and a return to the top of the rock charts with their singles “World On Fire,” “Heavy Is The Crown,” and “Changes AreComing,” each reaching the Top 10 on Billboard’s Rock Airplay chart. With the success of their 2023 smash cover,“Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” featuring Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, charting yet another Top 10 success, the band ushers in a new sonic era on their latest epic track,“Artificial.” Catch the rock outfit on the road this fall, as they strip it back in the states on their Bare Bones Acoustic Tour. For dates and more information, visit daughtryofficial.com.

Banks at Marquee Theatre
2025-06-10 20:00 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281, United States
BANKS, short for Jillian Banks, crafts moody alternative pop with shades of contemporary R&B. The singer and songwriter emerged in the early 2010s with a handful of downtempo, alternative R&B-flavored tracks that helped build a cross-genre audience. Her 2014 album Goddess, featuring her breakthrough platinum single “Beggin for Thread,” peaked just outside the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 and earned a gold certification, and she followed up two years later with The Altar, which maintained her placement in the chart’s upper reaches. BANKS expanded her sound palette with her third and fourth LPs, III and Serpentina, respectively released in 2019 and 2022. Contrastingly brash and heartsick singles, including a collaboration with Doechii (“I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend”), preceded her vivid fifth album, 2025’s Off with Her Head.
Jillian Rose Banks started writing as a teenager in her native Tarzana, California after a friend gave her a keyboard. For years, she wrote and played as a personal release, but she uploaded “Before I Ever Met You” — a sleek, low-key track that sounded like the work of someone who had grown up listening to Fiona Apple and Massive Attack — in early 2013. Within a matter of months, the Los Angeles native was releasing singles on Good Years (in the U.K.) and the reactivated Harvest (in the U.S.), including “Warm Water” (produced by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs) and “Fall Over.” That September, she released a four-track EP, London, as she was opening for the Weeknd during a North American tour.
Her full-length debut, Goddess, which featured collaborations with producers Justin Parker and Shlohmo and additional work with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, arrived in September 2014 and debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart. Harvest issued a large collection of remixes as a digital download in 2015. The following year saw the release of her much-anticipated sophomore full-length, The Altar, which featured the singles “Fuck with Myself,” “Gemini Feed,” and “Mind Games.” The set peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200. A fourth single, “Underdog,” followed in 2017. BANKS returned in early 2019 with the synth-heavy single “Gimme,” produced by Hudson Mohawke. That track landed on her aptly titled third studio album, III, which was released in July. Additional contributors included Francis and the Lights on “Look What You’re Doing to Me” and producer Paul Epworth (Adele, Rihanna) on the magical “Hawaiian Mazes.” A short EP, Live and Stripped, arrived in 2020.
BANKS soon began her next album cycle with 2021’s “The Devil” and “Skinnydipped,” which landed on her fourth full-length, 2022’s Serpentina. Tied to themes of shedding old skin and embracing the new, the album was recorded during her months of pandemic isolation. “I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend,” a steely collaboration with Doechii, and “Best Friends,” a downcast ballad, arrived in late 2024, as did an acoustic version of Goddess, Goddess: Unplugged. The following February, BANKS released Off with Her Head, which contained the 2024 singles and additional collaborations with Sampha and Yseult. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi

Pierce The Veil at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-06-15 19:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
Pierce The Veil debuted atop Billboard’s Top Rock Albums, Alternative Albums, and Hard Rock Albums charts twice – first with Collide with the Sky (2012) and its follow-up, Misadventures (2016). A decade after its release, the already platinum “King for a Day” shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Streaming chart, driven by the viral #KingForADay hashtag on TikTok. Even with two gold singles; a gold album; 2022 could be their biggest year. Because this is the year of The Jaws of Life.
The band Rolling Stone once described as “hyperactive, progressive post-hardcore,” returns with album number five, full of fuzzy guitars, massive melodic hooks, and PTV’s distinct emotional heart. The Jaws of Life is Pierce The Veil at their most raw, crackling with urgency and immediacy. Never predictable, always engaging, Pierce The Veil continues to soar on the strength of highly potent energy, rich musicality, and a scrappy sense of authentic exuberant ambition that’s frankly unrivaled. Vic Fuentes, Tony Perry, and Jaime Preciado put volatile, angsty, confessional emotions into the music, which is why their songs resonant with so many. “No matter where the band performs, fans will show up,” wrote Loudwire. “When you see Pierce The Veil live, you’ll understand why.”
PTV’s evolution from album to album is nothing less than stunning. The early buzz generated by A Flair for the Dramatic (2007) made its follow-up one of the most anticipated albums of 2010. Selfish Machines shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. The Chicago Tribune saluted Collide with the Sky for its “post-hardcore punk with more than a few nods to Queen.” They became a true arena act on Misadventures, selling out huge venues without losing the intimate connection with their fans.
The Jaws of Life was produced by Paul Meany (Twenty One Pilots, Mutemath, The Blue Stones), and mixed by Adam Hawkins (Machine Gun Kelly, Turnstile, Twenty One Pilots). Deadly serious subject matter abounds, but Pierce The Veil enduringly navigates it all with grace. The lyrics continue the Fuentes tradition of painstaking honesty and clever twists of phrase. Pierce The Veil performs at the biggest festivals and is counted among the biggest and brightest of a younger generation of bands. But it all starts with the songs. The Jaws of Life is filled with the kind to keep the PTV fire burning forever.

Sleeping With Sirens breathe rarified air. After fourteen years, five studio albums, and thousands of shows, the band has outlasted many of their peers while crafting an undeniably unique path through modern alternative rock. With each release, the quintet — Kellin Quinn [vocals, keyboards], Jack Fowler [lead guitar], Nick Martin [rhythm guitar], Justin Hills [bass], and Matty Best [drums] – continue to hone their mix of unflinchingly honest lyricism, unforgettable riffs, and pulse-pounding percussion while boldly exploring new creative frontiers. That future-forward perspective, coupled with a deep connection to listeners, has established Sleeping With Sirens as a beacon of hope in a world desperate to find silver linings. On Complete Collapse, the band’s sixth studio album, Sleeping With Sirens cut straight to the bone, as they process life in modern times. “We’re coming to terms with the new reality we are in,” explains Quinn. “Things have changed so rapidly, and we’re all doing our best to process it. There’s a feeling of heaviness to the record, both in sound and emotion. We’re trying to figure out what’s going on and where we’re going. We’ve seen so much stagnation, but also a lot of change that wasn’t necessarily for the better. We’re realizing now that our voice, and what we’re able to say or should say, needs to come through the music. It’s not about what you can say on Instagram or Twitter, it’s about what you’re saying through your work.”

Post Malone + Jelly Roll at State Farm Stadium
2025-06-21 18:30 - 23:30 | State Farm Stadiu, 1 Cardinals Dr., Glendale, AZ, 85305, United States
A 9x diamond-certified GRAMMY® Award-nominated phenomenon, Dallas, TX artist Post Malone regularly rewrites history, blurs boundaries, and incites internet-breaking conversation with every move. Emerging in 2015 with a genre-less brew that inspired a movement, he delivered the diamond-selling “Congratulations” [feat. Quavo], achieved back-to-back #1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200, received countless multi-Platinum certifications around the world, and smashed one record after another with his Hot 100-topping hits. As the writer or co-writer of all of his songs, Post Malone is one of our generation’s literary geniuses.
Most recently, Post released his debut country album, F-1 Trillion which landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Ahead of the album, Post released “Guy For That” featuring Luke Combs, “Pour Me A Drink” featuring Blake Shelton and mega-smash “I Had Some Help” with Morgan Wallen. Upon release of “I Had Some Help” it crash-landed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, tallying “the highest weekly sales and streams since 2020” and remained at #1 for six consecutive weeks. This fall, Post wrapped his record breaking F-1 Trillion Tour.
In 2023, he released his fifth album AUSTIN. That same year, he garnered a “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” GRAMMY® Award nomination for “I Like You (A Happier Song)” [with Doja Cat], marking his tenth career nomination in six years. In 2022, Post released his fourth album, Twelve Carat Toothache, which marked his fourth consecutive Top 5 bow on the Top 200. He even scored “the highest-certified single in RIAA history” with “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)” [feat. Swae Lee] reaching 20x platinum, or double diamond, in the United States. This makes it the first song to ever achieve this status, netting the biggest single of his generation.
In 2019, his third full-length album, Hollywood’s Bleeding, arrived at platinum status and eventually went triple platinum. It reigned at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 for four weeks. Hollywood’s Bleeding followed the immense success of the triple-Platinum beerbongs & bentleys, which also landed at #1 a year prior. In the wake of beerbongs & bentleys, Post crushed a record in place for 54 years. He charted nine songs in the Top 20 of the Hot 100, notching “the most songs in the Top 20 of the Hot 100 ever.” Moreover, he also trounced the record for most simultaneous Top 40 Hot 100 hits with 14.
Post’s catalog comprises the GRAMMY® Award-nominated “rockstar” [feat. 21 Savage” (Diamond), “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)” [feat. Swae Lee] (2x Diamond), “I Fall Apart” (Diamond), “Psycho” [feat. Ty Dolla $ign] (Diamond), “White Iverson” (Diamond), “Better Now” (Diamond), and more. It all started with his quintuple-platinum influential 2016 debut, Stoney. With records under his belt that will likely never be surpassed and a generation of artists and audiences worldwide under his spell, Post Malone simply doesn’t stop.

Multi Award-winning, 4x GRAMMY® nominated Nashville native singer/songwriter Jelly Roll claimed the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 All Genre Chart with his critically acclaimed 2024 album, Beautifully Broken. The release concluded his most successful year yet and followed his sold-out nationwide Beautifully Broken Arena Tour.
Just a year earlier, Jelly debuted in the Top 3 on the Billboard 200 All Genre Chart and #2 on the Top Country Album charts with his debut country album, Whitsitt Chapel – earning the biggest country debut album in Billboard Consumption Chart history. With over 20 Award wins, the multi-genre phenomenon – currently nominated for three ACM Awards including Entertainer of the Year – has cemented his rise in 2025, having already won Country Artist of the Year at this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards and notched two more GRAMMY nominations. Jelly scored his seventh #1 at country radio with the six-week chart-topper “Liar,” bringing his career total up to nine. Now, Jelly’s spurring “Heart Of Stone” – the third radio single from his Beautifully Broken record – is currently climbing the country radio charts.
Not just an artist but a humanitarian, Jelly continues to deeply resonate with fans on a global scale, from donating a recording studio at the juvenile detention center he served in as a teen, to the release of his record-breaking documentary by ABC News, Save Me, to his visits with rehab centers and those incarcerated across the US.

Shakira at Phoenix Arena
2025-06-22 19:30 - 2025-06-23 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira has sold over 80 million records worldwide and won numerous awards including three GRAMMYs and eleven Latin GRAMMYs. At the age of 18, she founded the Pies Descalzos (Barefoot) Foundation which provides education and nutrition to over 6,000 impoverished children in Colombia. In October 2011, Shakira was named a member of President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. She served as coach on the 4th and 6th season of NBC’s hit reality vocal competition series “The Voice”. Her tenth studio album “Shakira” was released in 2014, featuring hits such as “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” with Rihanna and “La La La (Brazil 2014)” which she performed at the finals of Fifa’s World Cup 2014 in Brazil. In 2016, she starred as Gazelle in Disney’s record-breaking film “Zootopia,” as well as contributing to its soundtrack with “Try Everything”. She also launched “La Bicicleta” with fellow Colombian artist Carlos Vives, which remained #1 for 18 consecutive weeks in Colombia. It was followed up by “Chantaje” feat. Maluma. With over 2 billion views on YouTube, it is one of the platform’s biggest Latin hits in history. In November 2018 she wrapped her hugely successful El Dorado World Tour. 2019 saw the release of the concert film Shakira in Concert: El Dorado World Tour, which was shown in cinemas worldwide for one-night only. She performed at Super Bowl LIV in Miami and is currently working on new music.

Summer of Loud Tour 2025 at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-07-01 15:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
Killswitch Engage first shook the structure of heavy music upon climbing out of snowy industrialized Western Massachusetts in 1999. A musical outlier, the band pioneered a union of thrashed-out European guitar pyrotechnics, East Coast hardcore spirit, on-stage hijinks, and enlightened lyricism that set the pace for what the turn-of-the-century deemed heavy. 2002’s Alive Or Just Breathing became avowed as a definitive album, being named among “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade” by Decibel and celebrated by everyone from Metal Hammer to Revolver. Not only did they bust open the floodgates for dozens to follow, but they also garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance” in 2005 and 2014, respectively, and gold certifications for The End of Heartache [2004] and As Daylight Days [2006]. The group landed three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and their career high best bow at #6 with Incarnate [2016]. The latter two releases would also both capture #1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. Their total streams have exceeded half-a-billion to date. Along the way, the band has shared stages with some of the biggest acts in the world and has sold out countless headline gigs in six continents across the globe.
2019 represents another turning point. The quintet—Adam Dutkiewicz [guitar, production], Joel Stroetzel [guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals]—sharpens every side of this signature sound on their eighth full-length and first for Metal Blade, Atonement. The vision the band initially shared two decades ago crystallizes like never before.
“To me, the name Killswitch Engage means ‘Shut the system down’,” exclaims Jesse. “It’s anti-authority and anti-corruption. My lyrics are very spiritual and political. It’s a part of what Killswitch has been since the beginning. We carry the message through the live show. There’s a sense of fun, enjoying life, and emotional catharsis. I don’t even know if we meant to do it consciously, but this showcases all of our styles. It happened naturally. I’m proud of it.”
“This is another honest record,” says Justin. “We’re just being who we are and writing the best material we can.”
“People take themselves way too seriously,” adds Adam. “We love metal, but we also love melody and we want to have a good time. That’s who we are; we don’t act like your typical ‘metal band.’
Atonement proves that. It earmarks the culmination of a trying and turbulent two years. The musicians started kicking around ideas as early as 2017. The band recorded the bulk of the material separately, with Adam once again behind the board. They worked at Signature Sound for drums and Adam’s own Wicked Good Studios for guitars, both based in San Diego. Meanwhile, Mike cut his bass tracks wherever he could: on the road in hotels, in dressing rooms backstage, and at home. Vocals were recorded on both coasts at Mainline Recording Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts and Wicked Good Studios. In the middle of the process, a polyp developed scar tissue in Jesse’s throat, forcing him to undergo surgery. The intense three-month recovery ended with speech therapy, vocal therapy, and scream therapy.
“At first, I was wondering if I was done career-wise,” he admits. “It worked out though. Out of everything came a real determination to learn techniques and get a second chance at becoming a better vocalist. I have so much more control of my voice and can scream properly. I don’t think the album would be what it is if I didn’t go through all of this.”
His “trial-by-fire” on stage came during a 2018 tour with Iron Maiden as he regained “confidence” performing in front of sold out arena and stadium crowds. At the same time, he experienced a debilitating bout of writer’s block. By the end of this run with the metal gods, Adam took him aside and offered words of inspiration.
“I shared my unfinished lyrics, and he said, ‘You don’t even need all of these. Keep it simple.’,” Jesse goes on. “I was stressed out. I was insecure. A lot was going on in my head between writer’s block and the surgery. It was amazing to have a friend and producer like Adam mentally slap me upside the face and encourage me.”
“Jesse did a really great job with the words and melodies,” remarks the guitarist. “At the same time, I strove to write songs that were really thrash-y and aggressive. We’ve got more butt-kickers than we usually do.”
Signing to Metal Blade also stoked this fresh fire. “We were all excited to kick off a new chapter,” says Justin. “We’ve known Brian Slagel forever. We have friends who have worked with him. We went into this with a sense of optimism about what we could potentially do on this cycle with Metal Blade on our side.”
The opener and first single “Unleashed” tempers ominous drums with foreboding guitars before descending into a chantable refrain. “It’s the genesis of the whole thing,” explains the frontman. “For me, it’s about the inner animal and darkness we all have inside. Thankfully, I’ve only had it come out a few times in my life. The chorus felt like something people could relate to.”
“The Signal Fire” steamrolls from airtight thrashing towards an expansive and entrancing refrain. Boasting a guest appearance from former Killswitch Engage singer and current Light The Torch vocalist Howard Jones, it sparks a pyre of metallic mastery, joining two eras of the band on one anthem.
“I had an image from Lord of The Rings when they climb to the top of the mountain and light a fire to signal for backup,” says Jesse. “It felt powerful to me. At the same time, Howard’s Light The Torch was making new music. I thought, ‘‘Light The Torch’and ‘Signal Fire’ make sense together.’ It needed to be a call-to-arms, and I wanted to invite him to sing on it. We hit it off for the first time, recently. Afterwards, we were texting back-and-forth. We needed a song with him to show the fans there’s solidarity. It’s a perfect ode to our bond as brothers and a nice nod to Light The Torch.”
Elsewhere, legendary Testament mainman Chuck Billy brings his unmistakable guttural growl to the possessed power of “Crownless King,” which Adam rightfully refers to as “fucking awesome.” On the other end of the spectrum, the soaring chorus of “I Am Broken Too” assures “someone struggling with mental illness or suicidal thoughts not to give up, because there are more of us than you think,” as the singer reminds. Then there’s “As Sure As the Sun Will Rise,” which builds towards a triumphant chant, turning a corner thematically over thunderous percussion and punch-y guitars.
In the end, Killswitch Engage lengthen their legacy while blazing another new path—the system won’t be the same again.
“I want to take all of that energy, negativity, and shit I suffer with and turn it into something positive to make people feel a sense of hope,” Jesse leaves. “Acknowledge the darkness and fight through it. If you keep pushing, you will persevere. There will always be a ray of hope.”
“I want fans to enjoy this,” Adam concludes. “When I listen to metal records, I get pumped up and excited. I hope our fans can get just as excited when they hear our songs and watch us play live. Do you really want to pay money to look at someone pretending to be a badass? It’s not what we do. If we’re laughing, we’re enjoying it—and we are enjoying this one.”
BOILER
Killswitch Engage first shook the structure of heavy music upon climbing out of snowy industrialized Western Massachusetts in 2000. A musical outlier, the band pioneered a union of thrashed-out European guitar pyrotechnics, East Coast hardcore spirit, on-stage hijinks, and enlightened lyricism that set the pace for what the turn-of-the-century deemed heavy. 2002’s Alive Or Just Breathing became avowed as a definitive album, being named among “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade” by Decibel and celebrated by everyone from Metal Hammer to Revolver. Not only did they bust open the floodgates for dozens to follow, but they also garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance” in 2005 and 2014, respectively, and gold certifications for The End of Heartache [2004] and As Daylight Days [2006]. The group landed three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and their career high best bow at #6 with Incarnate [2016]. The latter two releases would also both capture #1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. Their total streams have exceeded half-a-billion to date. Along the way, the boys have shared stages with some of the biggest acts in the world and have sold out countless headline gigs in six continents across the globe.
2019 represents another turning point. The quintet—Adam Dutkiewicz [lead guitar], Joel Stroetzel [rhythm guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals]—sharpen every side of this signature sound on their eighth full-length and first for Metal Blade, Atonement. The vision they shared two decades ago crystallizes like never before as evidenced by the first single “Unleashed,” “The Signal Fire” [feat. Howard Jones], “Crownless King” [feat. Chuck Billy], and “I Am Broken Too.”

In the kitchen of the Byron Bay home of Winston McCall stands a refrigerator, adorned on one side by a quote from Tom Waits: “I want beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.”
This, the Parkway Drive vocalist says, is a pretty good summation of himself. It holds true, too, as one of the guiding principles behind Darker Still, the seventh full-length album to be born of this picturesque and serene corner of north-eastern NSW, Australia, and the defining musical statement to date from one of modern metal’s most revered bands.
Darker Still, McCall says, is the vision he and his bandmates – guitarists Jeff Ling and Luke Kilpatrick, bassist Jia O’Connor and drummer Ben Gordon – have held in their mind’s eye since a misfit group of friends first convened in their parents’ basements and backyards in 2003. The journey to reach this moment has seen Parkway evolve from metal underdogs to festival-headlining behemoth, off the back of close to 20 gruelling years, six critically and commercially acclaimed studio albums (all of which achieving Gold status in their home nation), three documentaries, one live album, and many, many thousands of shows.
“When Parkway originally started out, we all were trying to push ourselves to do more than we possibly could,” is how McCall explains it. “The better we got at it, the more comfortable we got, to the point where it became all comfortable. That is when we chose to acknowledge that just being comfortable was not necessarily doing justice to the skills and the creativity that you have grown over the years. What you hear on Darker Still is the final fulfilment of our ability to learn and grow catching up with the imagination that we have always had. These are the kinds of sounds we always had in mind. This is the way we always dreamed.”
To understand that growth is to understand Darker Still, both musically and thematically. Those who thought they had Parkway Drive figured out – the unrivalled energy, the high-octane breakdowns, McCall’s trademark bark – need reconsider everything they know about Australia’s masters of heavy. Not that anyone truly paying to their recent evolution should be surprised, though. “This is a journey we began with Ire, and which grew further still on Reverence,” McCall says, referencing the band’s preceding 2015 and 2018 works, respectively. In that context, it is easy to view Darker Still as the curtain-closer on a transformative trilogy that has seen Parkway reach new heights of creativity and success by eschewing the restrictive, safe conventions of genre and abandoning their own self-imposed rules in favour of a wide-eyed appreciation of bold new horizons. “There are compositions and songs that we’d never attempted before – or, to be more accurate, which we have attempted in the past, but not had the courage, time or understanding to pull off,” McCall reveals.
The vocalist would be the first to tell you that in order to grow, you have to let go of the past; a mantra Parkway embraced tighter than ever before when it came to blueprinting Darker Still. McCall describes how “we wanted to make a record that stood alone from the records we hear at this point in time”; one that delivers on “a more expansive sound, which allows a new weight to fall into the music.” Gordon, meanwhile, says it features “some of the heaviest moments we have ever created, but it is a different kind of heavy: an emotional catharsis that you can feel in every cell in your body.” The drummer is brutally honest in his reflection that, between “the ever-changing COVID lockdowns, government mandates, travels restrictions and tense personal relationships within the band”, Darker Still was the most challenging moment of the band’s career. Ling offers agreement, admitting that the three-year journey of writing and recording – which commenced as far back as April 2019 and would conclude in February 2022 following three months in the studio with producer and engineer pairing George and Dean Hadjichristou – “broke me by the end” as he juggled lockdown family life with the “daunting task of trying to stick everyone’s ideas together” in his downstairs home studio.
“When writing songs, we have a few questions that we ask ourselves that helps define our creative path,” he explains of the gruelling process. “‘What will this song achieve?’ ‘Why does this song deserve to be on this album?’ ‘What emotional response will this song provoke in the listener?’ If all these points check out, we know we are on the right path.”
“We are very much a collaborative band when it comes to song writing,” says Gordon. “Each song goes through several layers of scrutiny and refinements before the final version emerges. Some songs are completely unrecognisable from the first rendition to what ends up on the record.”
And so while Darker Still remains irrefutably Parkway Drive, it finds the band sonically standing shoulder to shoulder with rock and metal’s greats – Metallica, Pantera, Machine Head, Guns N’ Roses – as much as it does their metalcore contemporaries. “I wanted a classic guitar tone for this record,” explains Ling, who credits much of his inspiration to the connection his riffs have with a crowd in a live setting. “I’ve always been drawn to early ‘90s metal, so something along these lines with a modern edge was my jive. Creatively my goal was to write intricate and intriguing music that is also simple enough for everyone to understand and enjoy. We made a conscious decision to not go overboard with layering and soundscaping. This move would help reinforce our raw and classic album vision.”
“Production wise, we wanted to have a slight throwback to the ‘90s, leaning into some more real and natural sounding tones, which gives the record more character,” nods Gordon, whose work behind the kit on Darker Still – “Less about how much I could show off, and more about what will best compliment the song,” is his simple assessment – is emblematic of the record at large. “It took us a long time to learn about the importance of dynamics,” he says. “We now pick our moments much more and let the song breathe when it needs to.”
It is a revivified sound that provides the backdrop for some of McCall’s most personal and introspective songs yet. Exploring the concept of the ‘dark night of the soul’ – “The idea of reaching a point in your life where you are faced with a reckoning of your structure of beliefs, your sense of self and your place in the world, to a point where it’s irreconcilable with the way that you are as a person,” as McCall describes – Darker Still unfurls like the great rock concept albums, from Pink Floyd to, most comparably, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral.
Amongst ruminations on society’s fear of death, societal isolation and a loss of humanity, its 11 tracks play out in a classic three-act structure. Ground Zero opens its ‘setup’; a “reckoning with your own internal monologue, says McCall, which ominously speaks to “the fights, the falls, the scars and broken bones” and how “beneath it all, the cracks begin to show…” Its second act – its ‘confrontation’ – frames the album’s title track at its core: a classic rock epic about “love and time” that spans a near seven-minutes and which evokes Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters. The album’s ‘resolution’, meanwhile, concludes with From The Heart Of Darkness: a brooding monster that opens with McCall’s contemplative searching (“There’s a war going on inside, nobody’s safe from / You can run, but you can’t hide / When it’s your soul you must confront”) before exploding with its mosh-call of “Fury be my victory!”
“I wanted the end of the record to mirror my experience to a degree of what this journey has been like for me,” McCall reveals. “I found that I was always afraid of showing defiance to be honest and true to myself, even if that meant sacrificing who I was to become a better version of who I could be. That has to be ripped from the darkest part of you, because the darkest part of you is what you are always afraid of in the first place. It’s the thing that you don’t want to shine the light on. It’s the element that you don’t want to show people, which you shy away from, which you’re too scared to embody.”
It is a closing statement that truly defines Darker Still. This is the Parkway Drive the band have been striving to be for two decades. Ling says it best: “I’m really proud of what we have achieved together, and feel that as musicians, we have really ascended to new realms of class and ability.” Emerging from the darkness of the past few years, this is the true face of Parkway: redefined and resolute, focused in mind and defiant in spirit.

Caleb Shomo first turned the pain of his struggle with mental health and self-image into music in 2013. Beartooth began as a living document, a diary, a journal of repressed rage and depression. Alone in his basement studio, screaming and singing, playing all the instruments, and self-producing a batch of furious but melodic songs filled with reflection and confession, the Ohio native stared into the abyss, initially with no intention of returning to the heavy music world that burned him as a teen. A decade later, the different pieces of his body of work connect in title, sound, and spirit. As the frontman hits 30, Beartooth’s fifth album, he Surface, completes this era in 2023. Even more importantly, it kicks off a new chapter filled with surprising optimism and just as honest. Depression is a sick, disgusting, aggressive disease below the surface. Shomo stands ready to bask in the light.
Like Nine Inch Nails, Beartooth remains a one-person band in the studio. On the heels of the introductory Sick EP (2013), Disgusting (2014) produced the band’s first Gold single, “In Between.” Aggressive (2016) and Disease (2018) expanded on the desperation and pain, each a step closer to a balance between the blood and tears of classic recordings and the shimmer of modernity.
Rolling Stone heralded Beartooth as one of 10 Artists You Need to Know. The rabid response to Shomo’s music demonstrated how many people related to his struggle for self-acceptance. Below (2021) topped the Rock and Alternative charts and several Best Rock/Metal Albums of the Year lists. As of 2023, the Beartooth catalog boasts more than 1 billion streams across all platforms.
Beartooth began as both bomb and balm, an outright refusal to suffer in silence, weaponizing radio-ready bombast, delivering raw emotion mixed with noise-rock chaos. Other bands play the “devastating riffs and catchy hooks” game, but this music is the difference between life and death, and now, a sort of life after death while still here. The band Forbes sees “inching towards a tipping point of becoming the latest arena headliner” is now one step closer.

Platinum-certified and twice GRAMMY-nominated Michigan rock powerhouse I PREVAIL — Brian Burkheiser (vocals), Eric Vanlerberghe (vocals), Steve Menoian (guitars/bass), Dylan Bowman (guitars), and Gabe Helguera (drums) — are back with TRUE POWER, their third full-length offering on Fearless Records.

The real story hides below the surface and beneath the veneer.
If you disregard the façade, peel back the layers, and take a closer look, you might get to the truth. The Amity Affliction cocoon raw honesty in haunting hooks, pummeling grooves, and rapturous riffs. The Australian heavy alternative quartet—Joel Birch [vocals], Ahren Stringer [vocals, bass], Dan Brown [lead guitar], and Jon Longobardi [drums]—unearth a powerful truth on their seventh full-length and debut for Pure Noise Records, Everyone Loves You Once You Leave Them.
“Social media is so fickle,” asserts Joel. “The internet horde’s response is often, ‘You’re a successful musician. There’s no way you can have depression. Fuck you!’ The other side isn’t always shown. This is a great job, and we’re blessed. Like anything though, it’s not all roses. After somebody dies, you hear the mob say, ‘Oh my God, that artist was such an inspiration.’ I’m sick of the ignorant animosity towards mental illness in music or any profession for that matter. We have a platform. We have the opportunity to say something, so that’s what we’re doing.”
“Saying something” remains a reason why they consistently connect. Since emerging in 2008 on the debut Severed Ties, the four-piece has preserved this bond. They served up two ARIA gold-certified albums, Youngbloods [2010] and Chasing Ghosts [2012], and earned a platinum certification from ARIA for the seminal Let The Ocean Take Me [2014]. This Could Be Heartbreak [2016] marked the band’s second consecutive Top 30 debut on the Billboard Top 200, while Misery [2018] elevated them to new critical heights with praise from Medium, Alternative Press, The Noise., and more. To date, the group’s total stream tally has surpassed 200 million and counting. Meanwhile, The Amity Affliction sold out countless headline shows and toured alongside many genre heavyweights. During 2019, the musicians returned to Beltsville, MD to record alongside Misery producer Matt Squire.
This time around, they incorporated more guitar and embraced heavier tendencies.
“We went back to our heavier side for the majority of the album,” says Ahren. “We were trying to master the craft and write what we want to hear. Even though we’re older, the maturity comes out a bit more with each record.”
“We just got back to a more of rock guitar sound,” agrees Joel. “We wrote naturally, and it felt great.”
The bludgeoning “All My Friends Are Dead” introduced the record, racking up 1.5 million Spotify streams within a month and receiving praise from the likes of Kerrang! On its heels, the single “Soak Me In Bleach” vaults from gnashing grung-y guitar to a sweeping and soaring clean chant.
“The imagery of ‘Soak Me In Bleach’ isn’t something we’d usually use,” Ahren goes on. “It’s super dark, but it’s got a boppy grunge vibe.”
On the other end of the spectrum, the vulnerable “Aloneliness” stretches from electronic-infused emissions into a disarmingly dynamic chorus, offsetting pop palatability with a heartbreaking confession.
“It’s straight-up about being bipolar,” reveals Joel. “It’s the constant struggle to figure out who I am now. It’s the morbid and negative part of my existence. Luckily for me, I’ve got music. I have that daily releasee on tour. I don’t know what I’d do without it. There are individuals who aren’t that fortunate and are struggling to have some form of escapism.”
Fueled by a blast beat and a deluge of screams, “Catatonia” cuts deep. “When we were recording Misery, my friend killed himself,” sighs Joel. “We were alone in Toronto. The weather was miserable. His death just hit me like a ton of bricks, and I spent several hours on the floor unable to move.”
Elsewhere, “Forever” sees Joel directly discuss his bipolar diagnosis and “the balancing act between happiness and despair” over an unpredictable sonic backdrop. “Coffin” closes tight on “leeches who want to suck the joy out of everything” with caustic ebbs and flows.
In the end, The Amity Affliction get real on Everyone Loves You Once You Leave Them.
“I want everyone to know there are others out there whose lives look amazing, but they’re still struggling,” Joel leaves off. “Mental illness is uncompromising and indiscriminate. You can’t help it. It’s not your fault. That’s it.”
“I’d love for people to go on this journey with us,” Ahren concludes. “Maybe it could make their day a little better. I live for music; it keeps me going. If we can do that for someone else, that would be amazing.”

Contrast gives art dimension. The juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate elements sparks friction, bringing life to any canvas. The Devil Wears Prada rely on contrast as they nimbly balance metallic turbulence, hardcore spirit, provocatively eloquent lyricism, and melodic exorcism. In between these opposing extremes, the band—Mike Hranica [vocals], Jeremy DePoyster [guitar, vocals], Kyle Sipress [guitar], Jonathan Gering [keys, synths, programming, production], Giuseppe Capolupo [drums], and Mason Nagy [bass]—have fashioned an ever-evolving signature style buttressed by layers of sonic hues. Such dynamic divergence defines the group’s eighth full-length offering, Color Decay [Solid State].
“It’s about contrast,” observes Mike. “We’ve really tried to create individualism within the songs and make them distinct. The title references the disintegration and discoloration we experience from daily struggles. Those feelings come with mental health, getting older, and dealing with it. We confront these fights over a lengthy period of time. This record goes up and down, which I’ve always liked for an LP. You will want to listen to it from front-to-back.”
“It’s a transparent look inward at what it’s like to be a mid-30-year-old trying to find a balance,” Jeremy adds. “You have to work, hang out with your family, pay attention to your friendships, and still take care of yourself. The music is the moment you can be your total self though. It’s a safe place to release those emotions that are hard to open up about.”
They’ve harbored this space since forming in 2005. Speaking to the band’s growing influence, fans voted 2009’s With Roots Above and Branches Below one of the “5 Greatest Metalcore Albums” in a Revolver poll as the outlet christened it “a true metalcore landmark.” The group have notched six consecutive Top 5 debuts on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart, including Dead Throne [2011], 8:18 [2013], Space EP [2015], Transit Blues [2016], The Act [2019], and ZII EP [2021]. The latter served as a sequel to one of their most beloved projects 2010’s Zombie EP. Upon arrival, mxdwn applauded ZII as “phenomenal,” and Metal Injection went as far as to claim, “This mini-concept has outlived the zombie revival.” In the wake of the EP, the group exceeded a-quarter-of-a-billion cumulative streams and views.
During 2021, the musicians decamped to remote hideaways together in Wisconsin and Desert Hot Springs, California. This time around, Jon took the reins as producer, collaborating closely to assemble a rich sonic architecture for what would become Color Decay.
“We feel very comfortable in the process we’ve established by working with a producer who’s literally in our band,” smiles Jeremy. “Mike and I have been doing this for 17 years now. Jon took on the role of project leader and figured out how to extract the best parts from everyone and put them into a unified piece. He excelled on ZII and pulled an amazing story out of Mike. It turned into a super collaborative project. We articulated these dark themes and melodies and connected them musically.”
“We created a lot of momentum with ZII and felt very rewarded by the positive experience,” Mike adds. “It steamrolled into these new songs. I tried to paint with a broad brush and did my best to color the vision.”
They initially teased out the record with “Watchtower” and “Sacrifice,” generating excitement and anticipation. Setting the stage for Color Decay, a driving riff uplifted by luminous keys gives way to a subdued verse on the single “Salt.” Melodic vocals hover above an otherworldly soundscape before snapping back into a hypnotic hook, “Pour the salt into the wounds, let the rain wash over you.”
“It’s a resignation to suffering,” Mike notes. “It essentially says, ‘I’m already beaten down, so keep pouring salt into the wound. Why not?’ It’s a realistic reaction. Go ahead. Push me off the edge now.”
Then, there’s “Time.” An airy intro bleeds into a pummeling groove punctuated by vicious vocals before eventually spiraling towards what Mike describes as “the goth dance party.”
“As much as the songs look inward, there are some bigger narratives,” the frontman goes on. “I wanted to blow the ceiling off what I view as the cliches within heavy music. Sonically, ‘Time’ goes to some awesome places. In real life, time itself moves incredibly fast, but it moves incredibly slow. The song addresses that.”
“Broken” translates tense emotions into a cathartic chorus, “I know I’ve got my problems.”
“Jon struggles with anxiety, and most of the guys in the band do to a certain degree,” Jeremy states. “A lot of the lyrics detail a very personal experience with anxiety. The content is relatable, but it’s in another lane for us.”
Warbling vocals groan between menacing synths and crunching distortion on the head-bashing “Hallucinate.” Mike screams, “I’d do anything for some kind of relief.”
“I was reading The Morning Star,” Mike reveals. “It switches between these different perspectives. One of them belongs to a nurse who’s taking care of a patient struggling with a brain tumor. As the tumor expands in your brain, it can cause pain and hallucinations. The track is essentially about a person hallucinating alone in a hospital bed and seeing these horrific images. It’s a narrative song, and its industrial nature really spoke to me. I don’t think it’s like anything we’ve ever done before.”
Color Decay concludes with the heart-wrenching finale “Cancer.” Guitar marches underneath a searing refrain, “I hope that it’s cancer and not something else, because I don’t need anymore things I don’t want to talk about.”
“One of Jon’s heroes passed away and the first thing he thought was, ‘I hope he died peacefully rather than from suicide or a drug overdose’,” says Mike. “It’s an introspective look at how difficult it can be to watch your heroes pass away from all of these terrible ways and the guilt of this immediate thought about how this person died.”
By contrasting these extremes, The Devil Wears Prada achieve balance like never before.
“There’s a focus to the album we haven’t had in a very long time,” Jeremy leaves off. “Coming out of the last 2 years, we’ve reflected on what is important to us—playing in this group and performing live. This record proves we’re not going anywhere. In our minds, we’re very focused on continuing to deliver the best possible music we can.”
“We fought so hard for this, and this album represents where we’re at now,” Mike concludes. “We’ll die on the hill of being The Devil Wears Prada. I believe you can define our band by Color Decay.”

Kesha & Scissor Sisters at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-07-06 19:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
A brash and driven Grammy-nominated pop singer and songwriter, Kesha went straight to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009 with her breakthrough recording, a feature spot on Flo Rida‘s “Right Round.” Her own major-label debut, Animal, followed a year later and made her a bona fide star, showcasing her exuberant electro pop sound and reaching number one in the U.S. and Canada behind the international party-time hit “TiK ToK.” The album spawned three more Top Ten singles as well as the Get Sleazy Tour, her first as a headliner. A second solo number one, “We R Who We R,” was included on the 2010 EP Cannibal, and she reached the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 for the third time straight with her second full-length, 2012’s Warrior. A more rock-influenced effort, it found space for a previous collaborator, Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, punk godfather Iggy Pop, and the indie pop band Fun. She had another Hot 100-topping single a year later with “Timber,” a collaboration with Pitbull. After a series of legal battles with her longtime producer, Dr. Luke that involved claims of physical and emotional abuse and business-related mistreatment, Kesha returned with her third album, Rainbow, in 2017. Its themes of self-empowerment hit number one in the U.S., Canada, and across Europe. She again hit the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 with 2020’s upbeat High Road and collaborated with producer Rick Rubin on 2023’s Gag Order. In 2024, the single “Joyride” heralded the arrival of her sixth album and the launch of her own independent Kesha Records.
Kesha Rose Sebert was born in Los Angeles but moved to Nashville when she was four, where her mother — a longtime songwriter — had inked a publishing deal. (Over a decade prior to that, Pebe Sebert‘s biggest success had come with “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You,” originally recorded by Joe Sun and later by Dolly Parton.) Before finishing high school, Kesha returned to L.A. for the sake of jump-starting her own music career, despite being set up to study psychology at Columbia. She soon met Dr. Luke, the co-writer and co-producer of Kelly Clarkson‘s “Since U Been Gone” (among several other hits), who was impressed with her demo recordings. Kesha penned the Veronicas‘ “This Love” and later contributed background vocals to Britney Spears‘ “Lace and Leather,” both of which were released in 2008. The biggest turning point came one year later, when she was tapped to contribute vocals to Flo Rida‘s Dr. Luke-produced “Right Round,” a number one Hot 100 hit.
Kesha subsequently signed to RCA, and her debut album Animal — featuring collaborations with Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco — was released in early 2010. Animal proved to be a big hit, reaching the top of the Billboard 200 and spinning off the number one single “TiK ToK.” The nine-song EP Cannibal appeared at the end of the year. Its single, “We R Who We R,” became her second chart-topper, and “Blow” also reached the Top Ten. Cannibal was followed in 2011 by another stopgap release, I Am the Dance Commander + I Command You to Dance: The Remix Album. In 2012, she was called upon by rocker Wayne Coyne for The Flaming Lips & Heady Fwends, a collaborative album that partnered Kesha with Biz Markie on the track “2012 (You Must Be Upgraded).”
Dr. Luke was back on board for her second official album, Warrior, but the more rock-influenced effort also found space for Coyne, punk godfather Iggy Pop, and the indie pop band Fun. Preceded by the Billboard Top Ten single “Die Young,” Warrior was released in December 2012 and reached the Top Ten of the albums chart. Two other singles hit the Top 40: “C’Mon” and “Crazy Kids.” Kesha toured North America in 2013 as part of a co-headlining bill with Pitbull, and the duo also recorded a single together, “Timber,” which became Kesha’s third number one hit.
Early in 2014, she entered rehab for treatment of bulimia nervosa, a period that included writing and recording over a dozen songs for her third studio album. That June, she began a stint as a celebrity expert on the ABC singing competition Rising Star alongside Ludacris and Brad Paisley. In late 2014, Kesha sued Dr. Luke for an array of charges, including sexual assault, harassment, emotional abuse, and bad business practices; she also sought release from her contract with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe label. Although the courts initially rejected her claims, wide public support for Kesha caused Kemosabe to release her from her contract in early 2016.
Her return to performing came in April 2016, when she took the stage at Coachella to perform “True Colors” during Zedd‘s set. The studio version was released at the end of the month. Following her own world tour in the summer of that year, Kesha returned to the studio to complete work on her long-awaited third LP, Rainbow. “Praying,” its lead single, was released in July 2017, with the album arriving a month later; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. More singles followed, including “Learn to Grow” and “Woman,” the latter of which hit the top of the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart. In January 2018, Kesha picked up two Grammy nominations, including Best Pop Vocal album for Rainbow, and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Praying.” Later that year, she released the single “Here Comes the Change,” which was used to promote the Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic On the Basis of Sex. “Best Day,” a cut for the Angry Birds 2 movie soundtrack, followed in 2019.
A return to the joyful pop of her early career, her fourth studio album High Road arrived in January 2020. Buoyed by the lead single “Raising Hell,” featuring Big Freedia, the album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200. It spawned several more singles, including “My Own Dance,” “Tonight,” and “Resentment,” the latter featuring Brian Wilson, Sturgill Simpson, and Wrabel. The following year, the singer headlined her Kesha Live Tour. She also joined Sam Feldt for his song “Stronger.”
In May 2023, Kesha delivered her fifth studio album, Gag Order. Largely produced by Rick Rubin, the album found her continuing to process the upheaval of her lawsuit against Dr. Luke and her inability to comment publicly on the case. Included on the album were the tracks “Eat the Acid” and “Fine Line,” which were released in tandem as the lead singles. It reached 14 on the Top Alternative Albums chart and cracked the Billboard 200. The Zhone-produced “Joyride” appeared in July 2024 as the first single released off the singer’s sixth album and the first on her own independent Kesha Records. A second single, the power ballad “Delusional,” followed that November around the same time as her cover of Lindsay Buckingham‘s 1983 hit “Holiday Road.” In early 2025, she also contributed the song “Dear Me” to the soundtrack to the documentary Diane Warren: Relentless.

A genre- and gender-defying mix of rock, pop, and dance inspired by burlesque, drag queens, and glam rock, New York’s Scissor Sisters made a splash in late 2003/early 2004 with their neon-bright reimagining of Pink Floyd‘s “Comfortably Numb,” the B-side to the band’s first single, “Electrobix.” The song made quite a name for the band, which featured singers Jake Shears and Ana Matronic, keyboardist/bassist Babydaddy, guitarists Del Marquis and Derek G, and drummer Paddy Boom: along with becoming the calling card that got the band signed to spotify:search:label%3A%22Polydor%22 in the U.K., “Comfortably Numb” was heralded Single of the Month by Dazed and Confused and Jockey Slut magazines, named an Essential New Tune by Pete Tong on Britain’s Radio 1, and also received considerable play by DJs including Felix Da Housecat and Tiga. Scissor Sisters (whose name is slang for a lesbian sex act) came from the cutting edge of New York’s nightlife and gay culture, incorporating elements of burlesque and drag shows, as well as performance art, into their theatrical live shows. This was the perfect setting for their music, which gleaned the best of Elton John, Bee Gees, The B-52’s, David Bowie, and many other artists with a campy sense of humor and impeccable style.   After proving themselves one of the city’s most dynamic live acts, Scissor Sisters won over British and European audiences on a tour early in 2004 that coincided with the release of their self-titled debut album. That March, they returned stateside for a South by Southwest gig with Junior Senior and The B-52’s before returning to the U.K. to tour with Duran Duran in support of the “Take Your Mama Out” single. The band continued to have a busy spring and summer, launching its first U.S. tour in May — coinciding with the stateside release of Scissor Sisters — and returning to Europe in June and July. These dates included two gigs supporting Scissor Sisters’ spiritual and musical godfather, Elton John, as well as appearances at festivals such as Glastonbury, T in the Park, Roskilde, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Late that year, Scissor Sisters were nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Record for “Comfortably Numb.” The band kept busy with touring and producing remixes during 2005, and returned with new material in fall 2006, when the single “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin'” hit number one in England. The band’s subsequent album, Ta-Dah, also topped the charts in Great Britain. In 2008, Paddy Boom left the group and was replaced by Randy Schrager. After completing and then scrapping an entire set of songs, Scissor Sisters worked with producer Stuart Price for their third album, Night Work, which was released in 2010 and preceded by the power ballad “Fire with Fire.” Guests such as Pharrell Williams, Calvin Harris and Azealia Banks gave an edge to 2012’s Magic Hour. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

Katy Perry at Phoenix Arena
2025-07-12 19:00 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Flirting with the aplomb of an assassin, Katy Perry created a distinctly new millennial pop persona: a Disney princess as imagined by Madonna. Perry enjoyed tweaking the sensibilities of a straitlaced audience — she sneered on her first single, “Ur So Gay” (punch line: “and you don’t even like boys”), she gasped “I Kissed a Girl” and she liked it — and her stylish provocations certainly put her on the pop culture radar, but the reason she stayed there was because of her knack for blending pop conventions with trends. This talent reached its apex on 2010’s Teenage Dream, a blockbuster sophomore set that generated hits as diverse as its dreamily romantic title track, the cotton-candy summertime pop of “California Gurls,” and the steely EDM variant “Firework.” As her career progressed, she cannily tempered her risqué moves, adding the empowerment anthem “Roar” to her repertoire while still finding space for dance club hits like “Dark Horse.” Perry broadened her audience with film cameos and a stint as a judge on American Idol, projects that kept her in the spotlight while easing her transition from pop diva to showbiz staple. Even with her diversified résumé, Perry continued to tackle a variety of pop styles, either on such solo albums as 2020’s Smile or as a duet partner, where she’d alternate between a collaboration with the Swedish DJ Alesso and country-pop singer Thomas Rhett. In 2024, she heralded her seventh album, 143, with the clubby feminist anthem “Woman’s World.”
Perry’s success was so sudden in 2008 it seemed as if she was an overnight success when the opposite was true. The daughter of Pentecostal pastors, she was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson on October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California. Raised by born-again parents, Katy was initially attracted to gospel music, sometimes sneaking pop music in to balance the inspirational tunes, but when she first started singing it was in the church. She picked up the guitar at the age of 13 and started writing songs, pursuing a music career in earnest when she was 15. Earning the attention of CCM artists Jennifer Knapp and Steve Thomas, Katy headed out to Nashville in 2001, where she cut demos and eventually secured a contract with Red Hill Records.
Red Hill released Katy Hudson, a record targeted at a Christian/inspirational demographic, in February 2001, but it didn’t garner much attention and was ultimately buried once the label was shuttered at the end of the year. In the wake of the album’s failure, Perry transitioned toward pop music, relocating to Los Angeles and working with producer Glen Ballard, chief collaborator with Alanis Morissette, one of Perry’s biggest inspirations. As she abandoned Christian music, she also abandoned her surname Hudson, choosing to use her mother’s maiden name, Perry, instead.
Ballard signed Perry to his Island/Def Jam-distributed label Java in 2004, but once the producer’s imprint severed ties with its parent company, Perry and the album were dropped. Next up, she signed to Columbia Records, where she worked on a record for two years, collaborating with the likes of Max Martin, Dr. Luke, the Matrix, Desmond Child, and Butch Walker, but just as the album was reaching the finish line in 2006, she was dropped from Columbia. Perry continued to soldier forth, working as a backup singer for hire (she can be heard on Mick Jagger‘s “Old Habits Die Hard” from the soundtrack to 2004’s Alfie), and recording a full album with the production team the Matrix, only to find that album also scrapped.
She finally had a song called “Simple” released on the soundtrack to 2005’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but her next big break arrived in 2007, when Jason Flom signed her to Capitol. Once again, Perry headed into the studio to create a would-be blockbuster — Ballard, Dr. Luke, and Butch Walker all returned, with Dave Stewart, Greg Wells, and S*A*M* & Sluggo also showing up — but this time everything fell into place for the singer. First came the deliberately controversial “Ur So Gay,” released as a video and digital single, and it gained enough attention that by spring of 2008, Madonna was calling it her current “favorite song.” By that point, Perry’s first real single was scheduled for release: “I Kissed a Girl.” Also vaguely scandalous, “I Kissed a Girl” became a smash and headed all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut, One of the Boys, followed in June 2008, and it was also a success, supported by the Top Ten hit “Hot N Cold,” along with “Thinking of You” and “Waking Up in Vegas.” One of the Boys was a big enough hit that the shelved album Perry had recorded with the Matrix back in 2004 saw a release in January 2009, but it didn’t do much.
Perry supported One of the Boys with media appearances and steady tours, including an appearance on the 2008 Warped Tour and her own headlining Hello Katy jaunt in 2009. A stopgap MTV Unplugged album appeared in November 2009, by which time Perry was hard at work on her second album, Teenage Dream. Preceded by the frothy single “California Gurls,” Teenage Dream was an international smash, generating no less than five consecutive number one singles in the U.S.: “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “Firework,” “E.T.” (which featured Kanye West), and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).” This success set a couple precedents: she was the first female artist ever to achieve such a run of number ones and the first artist since Michael Jackson to have so many singles from an individual album reach the pole position. In 2012, the album was expanded to Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, which contained a new single in “Part of Me,” which also topped the charts. During this entire cycle, Perry was a constant pop culture presence, undergoing an international tour, appearing in cameos all over television, courting mild social media controversies, creating fragrances, and filming the documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me, which appeared in theaters in July 2012.
As the Teenage Dream juggernaut wrapped up, Perry turned her attention to recording her third album. Appearing in October 2013, Prism signaled a more mature Katy Perry, something that was apparent from its motivating first single, “Roar.” Prism received a lift from its third single, “Dark Horse,” which became her ninth number one (“Unconditionally” didn’t crack the Top Ten), and it was followed by “Birthday” and “This Is How We Do,” both released as she supported the album with an international tour. The highlight of that tour was her appearance at the half-time show for 2014’s Super Bowl XLIX, where she performed with Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz.
Two years later, Perry made her comeback with another major sporting event: the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Her single “Rise” was honored as the official anthem for the games; it peaked at 11 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Perry next released “Chained to the Rhythm,” a single co-written with Sia Furler and co-produced by Max Martin, in February 2017. Another single — “Bon Appetit” featuring Migos — appeared before the June release of Witness, an album that emphasized EDM-inspired dance-pop. Perry returned with a holiday single, the family-inspired “Cozy Little Christmas,” in December 2018.
Early in 2019, she collaborated with Zedd on his single “365” and appeared on a hit remix of Daddy Yankee‘s smash “Con Calma” before issuing her solo single “Never Really Over” in May 2019. “Never Really Over” climbed to 15 on the Billboard Top 40, setting the stage for a series of digital singles that arrived before the August 2020 release of her sixth album, Smile. Featuring production by the Monsters & Strangerz, Zedd, Carolina Liar, and others, the set hit number five on the Billboard 200 and generated another Top 40 single in “Daisies.”
Perry released a flurry of singles in 2021, starting with “Electric,” a song taken from Pokemon 25: The Album. From there, she issued a cover of the Beatles‘ “All You Need Is Love” that doubled as a soundtrack to a Gap advertising campaign, plus “When I’m Gone,” a bright, danceable single cut in collaboration with DJ Alesso. In 2022, Perry appeared on “Where We Started,” a ballad by country-pop singer Thomas Rhett, and in 2023 she issued a 15th Anniversary Edition of One of the Boys, which included two bonus tracks. The dance-oriented feminist anthem “Woman’s World” arrived in July 2024 as the lead single off the singer’s seventh full-length album, 143. 143, set to be released in September of that year, included production from Stargate, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin, and boasted guest features from 21 Savage, JID, Doechii, and Kim Petras.

In 2011, Rebecca Black’s viral hit “Friday” reached more than 150 million people worldwide and became the fastest-growing song and video that year; but it was not until 2021 that Rebecca Black solidified her stamp on pop culture. Ten years since her first release, Rebecca Black delivered a six-track hyperpop-infused sonic journey titled “Rebecca Black Was Here” – and her 1.5 Million YouTube subscribers are screaming and streaming. This year, the RIAA Gold-selling singer, songwriter, and queer creator sold-out her debut headline tour across North America, celebrating her first project in 10 years, ‘Rebecca Black Was Here’ which is nominated for “Best Self Released Record of the Year” at A2IM’s Liberia Awards on June 16th in New York City, and the queer pop idol brought the “Rebecca Black Is Here” tour to the UK and Europe in May, after taking over Coachella weekend 1, teasing the live experience across a string of appearances in the Palm Springs. Her new music collaborations include “Yoga” with bbno$, “heart2” with Umru & Petal Supply, and a feature on MØ’s “New Moon”. In her leisure, Rebecca advocates for anti-bullying, mental health initiatives, and the LGBTQ+ community, across recent partnerships with the AdCouncil, GLAAD, and Best Buddies.

Volbeat + Halestorm at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-07-26 19:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
Volbeat, consisting of Michael Poulsen (vocals, guitar), Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass), and Jon Larsen (drums) have earned more than 143 platinum and gold certifications around the globe, and scored ten #1 songs on the Billboard Mainstream Rock airplay chart, the most ever for a band based outside North America. For their ninth album, God Of Angels Trust, Poulsen threw caution to the wind, paying little heed to traditional songwriting in the search for something more immediate and surprising. God Of Angels Trust is a punchy, crunchy album that’s undeniably Volbeat, yet marches to a fresh new metallic and melodic energy. From Poulsen’s more instinctual songwriting came more anthemic, tuneful, and instantly recognizable rhythms and hooks. The band tracked the album with longtime producer Jacob Hansen in the fall of 2024. To keep the music sounding urgent and immediate, Volbeat recorded live in the studio, playing as few takes as possible before moving from one song to the next. Just thirteen days after they started working with Hansen, Volbeat were finished. As a result, God Of Angels Trust sounds as fleshed out, eclectic, and fulfilling as albums that have taken ten times longer (or more) to create. In the end, creating such a strong album so quickly was a tremendous challenge that demanded Zen-like calm, a joy for exploration, maximal creativity, and razor-sharp concentration to pull off.

Led by charismatic vocalist/guitarist Lzzy Hale, Pennsylvania-based post-grunge/metal quartet Halestorm are one of the most successful hard rock groups of the early 21st century. With an aggressive yet hook-heavy sound that has become a fixture of American rock radio, Halestorm have toured restlessly, playing hundreds of shows per year and sharing the stage with nearly all of the popular American hard rock acts of their era. In 2013, the band took home a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for the single “Love Bites (So Do I),” which appeared on their sophomore studio effort, The Strange Case Of…. Subsequent efforts Into the Wild Life (2015), Vicious (2018), and Back from the Dead (2022) have shown the group to be equally adept at muscular hard rockers and piano-driven power ballads, and their sound has branched out to include elements of dance music and pop-country.
Siblings Elizabeth and Arejay Hale, the core members of Halestorm, formed the group in late 1997 near York, Pennsylvania, with Arejay on drums and Elizabeth on vocals and keyboard. Wanting to expand their sound, the duo invited their father, Roger, to play bass with the band. Shortly after their first professional gig in 1998 at the Blue Mountain Coffee House in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Halestorm added various guitar players and released an EP, 1999’s (Don’t Mess with The) Time Man. More lineup changes occurred, but Halestorm finally solidified with Elizabeth (who was by then going by Lzzy) on vocals and guitar, Josh Smith on bass, Arejay on drums, and Joe Hottinger on guitar. The band caught the attention of producer David Ivory as well as Atlantic Records — both were involved in the group’s major-label debut, 2006’s One and Done, a five-song EP recorded live at a show in Philadelphia. They would finally make their full-length studio debut in 2009 with the eponymous Halestorm, all the while maintaining a rigorous touring schedule that would see them playing upwards of 250 shows a year.
The following year, Halestorm released the concert recording Live in Philly 2010, and Reanimate: The Covers EP appeared in 2011, featuring the band’s takes on songs by Heart, Guns N’ Roses, and Lady Gaga. Their sophomore album, The Strange Case Of…, followed in 2012, and the single “Love Bites (So Do I)” earned the group a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. Reanimate 2.0 was released in 2013, this time finding the band tackling Fleetwood Mac, Daft Punk, and Marilyn Manson. Halestorm’s eclectic third studio long-player, the Jay Joyce-produced Into the Wild Life, was released in April 2015, and was preceded by the single “Apocalyptic.” The live EP Into the Wild Live: Chicago arrived in 2016, followed in early 2017 by their third covers set, Reanimate 3.0, which featured songs by Whitesnake, Metallica, and Soundgarden. Vicious, the band’s fourth studio long-player, followed in July 2018 and earned the group a Best Rock Performance Grammy nomination for the single “Uncomfortable.” 2020 saw Halestorm issue Reimagined, a six-song EP that featured stripped-down versions of five fan favorites and a cover of “I Will Always Love You.”
Two years later, they unveiled their fifth long-player, Back from the Dead. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz with co-production by Scott Stevens, the 11-song set included “The Steeple” and “Back from the Dead,” the latter of which became Halestorm’s sixth single to reach number one on the Active Rock charts. A deluxe edition of the album with seven new tracks arrived later that December.

Captivating bangers like “Engine 45,” “Avalanche,” “Aftermath,” “Wash It Away,” and “Pressure Point” are anthems for outcasts. Since its formation in El Segundo, California, The Ghost Inside has inspired international audiences with passion and determination. Tremendous obstacles never dampened their energy. The Ghost Inside is stronger than ever.
The lesson isn’t only about strength through adversity. In recent years, vocalist Jonathan Vigil, guitarists Zach Johnson and Chris Davis, bassist Jim Riley, and drummer Andrew Tkaczyk learned an esoteric truth about tranquility. As the axiom says, it’s the journey, not the destination, a theme throughout the band’s dynamic sixth album, Searching for Solace.
The Ghost Inside merges the New Wave of American Metalcore’s proficiency with punk’s urgency, building a bridge between more aggressive sounds and thoughtful messaging. Melody is another constant, explored to dizzying new heights in Searching for Solace.
Fury and the Fallen Ones (2008) and Returners (2010) preceded The Ghost Inside’s breakthrough album on Epitaph, Get What You Give (2012). Goodwill, momentum, and engaging live performances continued behind the conceptually driven Dear Youth (2014).

The Rose: Once Upon A WRLD at Mullett Arena
2025-07-27 20:00 - 23:30 | Mullett Arena, 411 S. Packard Drive, Tempe, AZ, 85287, United States
The Rose is a Korean alt-pop band comprised of four talented members: vocalist and guitarist Woosung, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Dojoon, bassist Jaehyeong, and drummer Hajoon. Renowned since their inception for electrifying performances, The Rose quickly became one of Korea’s most sought-after groups, delivering a series of critically acclaimed albums that resonated with fans worldwide.
The Rose’s first full-length album HEAL was inspired by the transformative power of music and the stories shared by both their fans and themselves. HEAL soared to #4 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart, while their accompanying HEAL Together World Tour drew an overwhelming crowd of over 100,000 attendees.
Now, with their highly anticipated second full-length album DUAL, The Rose takes their music to new heights. Building upon the emotional honesty and vulnerability showcased in HEAL, this latest offering explores the profound concept of ‘balance.’ Seamlessly merging light and dark elements, The Rose masterfully weaves emotions and sounds, capturing the dualistic essence that defines their music.
Driven by unwavering dedication to their fans and the unbreakable bond of their friendship, The Rose continues to push their artistic boundaries, captivating audiences worldwide with their soul-stirring music and unforgettable performances.

Architects at The Van Buren
2025-07-29 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Architects, a versatile metalcore group based out of Brighton, England, employ a lethal amalgam of breakdown-heavy hardcore, symphonic screamo, death metal, and ambient post-metal. That sonic malevolence is conducted from a platform built on veganism and environmental activism, with influences ranging from Hatebreed and Shadows Fall to Bring Me the Horizon. Emerging in 2006 as a punishing, no-frills metalcore act, the band expanded their sound on 2011’s The Here and Now, adopting a more melodic — though still punishing — and less predictably structured approach to the genre, which they perfected on 2016’s critically lauded All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us. Heading into the next decade, the group continued to refine their more varied sound, delivering immaculately crafted efforts like The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit (2022) and The Sky, The Earth & All Between, rooted in expressive and expansive, stadium-ready metalcore.
Architects recorded their debut album, Nightmares, in 2006 with a lineup consisting of twin brothers Tom (guitar) and Dan Searle (drums), Tim Hillier-Brook (guitar), Tim Lucas (bass), and Matt Johnson (vocals), but the latter was replaced on-stage by new frontman Sam Carter in January 2007 during the last show of the band’s subsequent tour. Later that year, they recorded their sophomore effort, Ruin (introducing new bass player Ali Dean), and signed a worldwide deal with Century Media for its re-release in 2008. Their first American tour was next on the agenda, and saw the group joining Suicide Silence, Beneath the Massacre, and the Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, among other bands.
Upon their return to England, Architects recorded their third album, Hollow Crown, which arrived in 2009. They took their sound in a relatively subdued, post-hardcore direction on their fourth album, 2011’s Here and Now, but transitioned back to a heavier sound the following year on Daybreaker. The band continued to expand their limits, pushing things in both extreme and ambient directions on their sixth album, Lost Forever // Lost Together, which appeared in 2014. Two years later, they issued the critically acclaimed and uncompromising All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, which they described as their “heaviest and darkest work” to date. It would be the final recording for founding guitarist and primary songwriter Tom Searle, who passed away in August of that year after a battle with cancer.
September 2017 saw the band issue the single “Doomsday,” which evolved from a song that was partially written by Searle before his passing. It appeared on the group’s eighth studio long-player, Holy Hell, that was released the following year. That album was the first to feature new guitarist Josh Middleton (Sylosis), who had filled in on tour. He co-produced and contributed to the writing on Architects’ ninth album, For Those That Wish to Exist, released in February 2021. The record deals with climate change and features guest vocals from members of Parkway Drive, Royal Blood, and Biffy Clyro. Unable to tour during the COVID-19 pandemic, the band filmed an elaborate livestream performance of the album at Abbey Road Studios and released it as a live album in March of the following year.
After having made their previous LP remotely during the pandemic, Architects were able to return to the studio as a unit, capturing a more spontaneous live energy on their tenth album, The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit, which appeared in October 2022 and reached number one on the U.K. Rock & Metal Albums Chart. Looking to capture the discordant zeitgeist of the decade, 2025’s The Sky, The Earth & All Between marked a return to the punitive heaviness of earlier efforts, highlighting the era’s tribalism and divisiveness with a set of songs — including collaborations with House of Protection and Amira Elfeky — that played to all of their strengths.

Determination and steadfast dedication have defined ERRA’s path, forging a unique connection with an ever-growing audience, without the advantages of traditional recognition. On their career-defining, self-titled fifth studio album ERRA, the band confront depression, anxiety and desperation throughout. They take listeners on a near-out-of-body journey to Aokigahara, the infamous Suicide Forest of Japan; into episodic storytelling that would make Black Mirror writers proud; and into the literary works of Cormac McCarthy and Hubert Selby Jr.
As their music finds the balance between the crushingly heavy and the headily melodic, its members seek to find harmony between the needs of the individual and the natural flow of this shared reality. ERRA, as a band of brothers and creative force, strive to live in alignment with the present moment. ERRA, the album, represents redemption for the band, who emerged from the creative process with renewed focus, confidence, and certainty of self.

Shinedown + Bush at Phx Arena
2025-08-02 19:00 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Multi-platinum band Shinedown Brent Smith [vocals], Zach Myers [guitar], Eric Bass [bass, production], and Barry Kerch [drums] – have cemented their status as one of the most vital and forward-thinking powerhouses in modern rock. Their most ambitious and masterfully realized work to date, their seventh studio album Planet Zero firmly places the group in the pantheon of artists capable of moving the culture forward on the strength of their singular vision, uncompromising honesty, and fierce commitment to constant evolution. The record-breaking band have achieved astronomical success while embodying the kind of creative dynamism that defies expectation and transcends boundaries. They were named #1 on Billboard’s Greatest Of All Time Mainstream Rock Artists Chart, after notching the most ever #1s in the 40-year history of the Mainstream Rock Songs Chart with a string of consecutive #1 hit singles. Tickets at shinedown.com.

Most artists don’t top Rolling Stone’s Best Country Albums of the year list with their debut album. But most artists aren’t Morgan Wade, who earned the top spot with her scathingly honest and raw 2021 LP Reckless. While Reckless, and its Top 30 lead single “Wilder Days,” busted down the doors and introduced Wade as a once-in-a-generation songwriter, she now readies her anticipated follow-up project, Psychopath, arriving Aug. 25. An astounding 13-track LP, Psychopath most excitingly finds Wade peeling back layers of her psyche like never before. Wade has been no stranger to the road throughout the first quarter of 2023 on her headlining NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN TOUR, which sold out 35 shows for more than 40,000 tickets sold. A Virginia native, Wade has broken away from the pack to become one of country music’s most compelling new voices. Possessed with a raw and unflinching voice anchored by a perfect tinge of twang; the rare ability to pen honest portraits of some of life’s most precious and painful and unpredictable moments; and an onstage vulnerability that so seamlessly breaks down the wall between fan and artist, Wade has quickly made her mark on the country music scene — and the music world at large – with nominations for ACM New Female Artist of the Year, Americana Music Association Emerging Act of the Year, and CMT Breakthrough Female Video of the Year.

Pantera at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-08-26 19:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
One of the preeminent metal bands of the ’90s, Texan powerhouse Pantera put to rest any and all remnants of the ’80s metal scene, almost single-handedly demolishing any notion that hair metal, speed metal, power metal, et al., were anything but passé. Loathe to admit it, the Texas band had in fact been one of those ’80s metal bands, releasing fairly unsuccessful (and later disowned) glam-inspired music throughout much of the decade. The about-face came in 1986 with the addition of vocalist Phil Anselmo, who joined the classic, core lineup of bassist Rex Brown, drummer Vinnie Paul, and guitarist Dimebag Darrell. After the release of 1988’s Power Metal, the band pushed their sound to a new extreme with their major-label debut, Cowboys from Hell (1990). Pantera’s mainstream breakthrough came next with Vulgar Display of Power (1992), their second major-label album, which thrust the band to the forefront of the metal scene, alongside such veteran bands as Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, as well as fellow up-and-comers Sepultura and White Zombie. By the time Pantera unleashed Far Beyond Driven (1994), after two long years of touring, they were the most popular metal band in the land: the new album debuted atop the Billboard Top 200 as its lead single, “I’m Broken,” was getting massive airplay.
At the height of their popularity and influence, Pantera began to self-destruct. Less than two months after the release of The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) — an album ridden with allusions to drug abuse and personal destruction — Anselmo overdosed on heroin after a homecoming concert in Texas, and as tensions rose between him and his fellow bandmembers, he began engaging with a growing list of side projects that kept him away from Pantera. A live album, Official Live: 101 Proof (1997), was compiled for release when it became evident that no new studio album was forthcoming any time soon. One final studio album did result, Reinventing the Steel (2000), but that was more or less it for the briefly reunited Pantera. The bandmembers once again went their separate ways, forming such bands as Damageplan, Down, and Superjoint Ritual.
The end of an era for Pantera became official on December 8, 2004, when guitarist Dimebag Darrell was murdered on-stage by a deranged fan at a Damageplan show in Columbus, Ohio. This much-publicized murder shone the spotlight back on Pantera for an extended moment, and amid all of the emotional outpouring and tributes, a consensus arose: in retrospect, there was no greater metal band during the early to mid-’90s than Pantera, who inspired a legion of rabid fans and whose oft-termed “groove metal” style bucked all prevailing trends of the day — from hair metal and grunge to nu-metal and rap-metal — and remains singular decades later, as defined by the vocals of Anselmo as it is by the guitar of Dimebag.
In the years that followed, Anselmo and Rex Brown continued work as Down, while Vinnie Paul formed the supergroup Hellyeah with members of Mudvayne and Nothingface. A Pantera greatest hits compilation, 1990-2000: A Decade of Domination, landed in 2010. Before the band managed an oft-teased official reunion, Paul died on June 22, 2018. Surviving members Anselmo and Brown eventually teamed with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante, playing as Pantera in a co-headlining spot with Judas Priest at the Monterrey Metal Fest in December 2022. That kicked off years of touring, joining the lineups for Hell & Heaven Metal Fest, Knotfest, and Metallica‘s extensive M72 World Tour. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi

Formed in 1992, Amon Amarth became modern metal greats the hard way. The Swedes steadily built a formidable reputation as a ferocious live band and, as the years passed, were increasingly recognised for their recorded achievements. Breakthrough releases like 2006’s With Oden On Our Side and 2008’s Twilight Of The Thunder God, cemented their popularity throughout the metal world. Jomsviking (2015) hit the #1 spot in Germany’s official album chart and swiftly became their most successful worldwide release to date. Amon Amarth return to action in 2019, with their biggest, boldest and most bombastic musical statement to date. Amon Amarth – completed by vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström and drummer Jocke Wallgren – know that expectations for their next move are at an all-time high. The excellent news is that the band’s 11th studio album, the aptly-named Berserker, is guaranteed to have all discerning metal fans punching the air with joy. Today, Amon Amarth stand tall and unassailable: over 25 years into a career that has seen them evolve from humble origins in the dark, dank rehearsal rooms of their native Tumba to their current status as explosive festival headliners and one of the metal world’s most widely adored bands. All of this and more has been captured in the band’s recent live DVD and documentary, The Pursuit Of Vikings: 25 Years In The Eye Of The Storm.

The Offspring + Jimmy Eat World & New Found Glory at Talking Stick Amp
2025-08-27 19:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
The Offspring is perhaps the quintessential SoCal punk band of the 1990s — survivors of the 1980s hardcore scene who revamped themselves for the heavier alt-rock era. Dexter Holland and Noodles had been kicking around the Orange County scene since the mid-’80s, adopting the name the Offspring as the band’s lineup firmed up toward the end of the decade. The group released their second album, Ignition, on Epitaph in 1992 but it was 1994’s Smash and its accompanying singles “Come Out and Play (Keep Em Separated)” and “Self Esteem” that pushed the band toward blockbuster national success. Shortly afterward, the Offspring made the leap to the major labels and continued a streak of snotty, satirical alt-rock hits such as “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” and “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” that kept the group squarely in the hard rock mainstream through the 2000s. By the dawn of the 2010s, the Offspring had experienced several membership changes, the first bit of turmoil that would extend through a decade marked by battles with record companies. The middle-aged Offspring reemerged in 2021 with Let the Bad Times Roll, their first album since 2012’s Days Go By. They followed in 2024 with Supercharged.
Featuring Dexter Holland, guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, bassist Greg Kriesel, and drummer Ron Welty, the Offspring released their self-titled debut album in 1989. Four years later, their second album, Ignition, became an underground hit, setting the stage for the across-the-board success of 1994’s Smash. The Nirvana soundalike “Come Out and Play,” the first single from the album, became an MTV hit in the summer of 1994, paving the way to radio success. The Offspring were played on both alternative and album rock stations, confirming their broad appeal. “Self Esteem,” the second single, followed the same soft verse/loud chorus formula and stayed on the charts nearly twice as long as “Come Out and Play.” The group got offers from major labels yet chose to stay with Epitaph. While they were able to play arenas in the U.S., their success didn’t translate in foreign countries. Nevertheless, the band’s popularity continued to grow in America, as “Gotta Get Away” became another radio/MTV hit in the beginning of 1995. The Offspring recorded a version of the Damned‘s “Smash It Up” for the Batman Forever soundtrack in the summer of that year; it kept the group on the charts as the bandmembers worked on their third album.
Following a prolonged bidding war and much soul-searching, the Offspring decided to leave Epitaph Records in 1996 for Columbia. The move was particularly controversial within the punk community, and many artists on the Epitaph roster, including Pennywise and owner Brett Gurewitz, criticized the band. After much delay, the Offspring finally released their Columbia debut, Ixnay on the Hombre, in February of 1997. Expectations for the record were high and it did receive good reviews, but Ixnay on the Hombre failed to become a crossover hit on the level of Smash, and the group also lost a significant portion of its hardcore punk audience due to the album’s major-label status. Americana followed in 1998, scoring the hit “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy).” In mid-2000, the Offspring made controversial headlines with their decision to offer Conspiracy of One free of charge on the Internet prior to the initial November release date. Sony Music did not adhere to such a move and threatened a lawsuit, so the band nixed the plan to release the album in such a manner. Individual singles, however, were made available on the band’s official website and other music-related sites such as MTV Online.
The Offspring returned in 2003 with Splinter. The album was released through Columbia, proving the band’s flouting of the record biz hadn’t soured the major labels. It also featured the single “Hit That,” which returned to the smarmy, pop-referential feel of “Pretty Fly.” The Offspring toured the world in support of Splinter, and in the process they hit nearly every continent at least once. They returned in June 2005 with a greatest-hits set; in addition to their major hits, it included the new track “Can’t Repeat.” In 2008, after several delays, the band released its first studio release in four-and-a-half years, the highly anticipated Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace. While touring for in support, the Offspring set to work writing new material and recording when they could. After three years of work, their ninth album, Days Go By, arrived in the summer of 2012.
The Offspring then entered an extended period of touring, recording, lineup changes, and battling their record label. Summer Nationals, a digital EP of covers, appeared in 2014, the same year they negotiated a deal for the rights to the music they made at Columbia; in 2016, they sold these masters and all their publishing rights to Round Hill. The Offspring began working on a new album in earnest in 2018, reuniting with producer Bob Rock. The resulting Let the Bad Times Roll appeared on Concord in the spring of 2021, its release delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon release, the set topped charts in Austria, the U.K., and the U.S. Seizing their newfound momentum, they returned to the studio after touring concluded, delivering their eleventh album Supercharged in 2024.

Emerging as a trailblazing name in the mid-’90s emo scene, Jimmy Eat World eventually found a larger audience by embracing a blend of alternative rock and power pop that targeted the heart as well as the head. The band’s influence widened considerably with 1999’s Clarity — an album that has since emerged as a landmark of the emo genre — but it was the follow-up, 2001’s Bleed American, and the infectious single “The Middle” that broke them into the commercial rock mainstream. The emo label proved difficult to shake throughout the 2000s, even when subsequent Top Ten albums Futures (2004) and Chase This Light (2007) did little to evoke the hard-edged sensitivity of Clarity, but Jimmy Eat World still remained a league above the generation of genre torchbearers they helped spawn. Settling into comfortable veteran status in the 2010s, the band continued to issue reliable Top 20 efforts, rounding out the decade with their tenth album, 2019’s Surviving.
Jimmy Eat World formed during 1993 in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, Arizona. Jim Adkins (vocals/guitar) and Zach Lind (drums) met while attending Mountain View High School; years of playing in local bands had also introduced them to locals Tom Linton (guitar/vocals) and Mitch Porter (bass). The four musicians joined forces and derived the band’s moniker from an argument between Linton’s younger brothers, Ed and Jimmy. The two siblings were prone to fighting, with the heavyset Jimmy usually emerging as the victor. One day, a revengeful Ed resorted to drawing a picture of his heavyset older brother shoving the entire world into his mouth. The caption “Jimmy Eat World” was printed beneath, and the band deemed it a perfect fit. Citing influences like Rocket from the Crypt, early Def Leppard, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Fugazi, and the Velvet Underground, Jimmy Eat World outfitted themselves as a punk rock act and began playing small shows in the Phoenix valley.
Over the course of 1994 and early 1995, Jimmy Eat World released several EPs and singles on Wooden Blue Records, an imprint based in the nearby town of Tempe. Limited-edition pressings of “One, Two, Three, Four,” “Back from the Dead Mother Fucker,” and split EPs with Christie Front Drive, Emery, and Blueprint would later run out of print, as would the band’s self-titled debut album. Their audience was steadily growing, and Capitol Records responded by signing Jimmy Eat World in mid-1995, when bandleaders Adkins and Linton were only 19 years old. Porter soon exited the group; Linton’s best mate since seventh grade, bassist Rick Burch, was enlisted as a replacement, and the band marked their major-label debut with the release of 1996’s Static Prevails.
Three years passed; by 1999, Jimmy Eat World had officially transformed themselves into an emo outfit with the release of their intricate sophomore album, Clarity. The record marked Adkins‘ first time as the group’s lead singer and principal songwriter, two roles that Linton had previously handled. Unfortunately, Capitol Records had also experienced some significant changes, ultimately culminating in the departure of president Gary Gersh — the same man who signed Jimmy Eat World in 1995. Capitol‘s new management balked at Clarity’s sensitive sound and started to shelve the album; it wasn’t until several key radio stations (including L.A.’s influential KROQ) started airing the song “Lucky Denver Mint” that the label relented and released Clarity in February 1999. “Lucky Denver Mint” proved to be popular on the radio and in the movies, where it scored a spot in the Drew Barrymore comedy Never Been Kissed. Jimmy Eat World’s fan base continued to grow, but their relationship with Capitol progressively soured. After the label shelved the band’s third LP, Jimmy Eat World decided to leave the label, and Capitol was happy to let them go.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Eat World’s music was attracting an audience overseas, where Clarity had become a hit in countries like Germany. The band responded by financing and promoting a tour throughout the European continent. Singles, a collection of unreleased B-sides and rarities, was issued that same year on the independent label Big Wheel Recreation. A split EP with Australian rockers Jebediah was also released, and the group scraped together the profits from those ventures before entering the studio to record Bleed American (whose title would later be changed to Jimmy Eat World after the events of September 11, 2001). Enlisting the help of Clarity’s producer, Mark Trombino, the band independently created the record that would effectively launch their high-profile careers. Jimmy Eat World then used the completed product to land a contract with Dreamworks, who released the album in July 2001. While the hard-hitting title track did moderately well, it was the record’s second single, “The Middle,” that landed Jimmy Eat World a spot on the pop/rock map. Featuring a video filled with scantily clad teenagers, the song also enjoyed heavy exposure on MTV, where a younger audience latched onto the band’s summery appeal. A year after its release, Jimmy Eat World was still a fixture on the Billboard charts and modern rock radio. A third single, “Sweetness,” was released in summer 2002, and “A Praise Chorus” followed soon after, allowing the album to go platinum.
After the Dreamworks label closed its doors in January 2004, Jimmy Eat World shifted their operations over to Interscope for the release of their fifth album. Futures was released in October 2004 and debuted at number six on the Billboard charts, eventually going gold on the strength of the Top 40 hit “Pain.” The Stay on My Side Tonight EP appeared one year later, featuring a Heatmiser cover and several tracks that had been axed from the Futures track list. Jimmy Eat World continued to tour in support of the album before entering the recording studio with Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage). With Vig behind the controls, Jimmy Eat World recorded their sixth studio LP, Chase This Light. The leadoff single, “Big Casino,” was released in August 2007, and the album followed in October. Before the release of their next record, the band embarked on a ten-year anniversary tour celebrating Clarity.
In 2010, Jimmy Eat World issued their seventh album, Invented (Dine Alone), which saw the return of Trombino as producer. This release marked the first instance since their self-titled debut with original vocalist Linton taking over primary vocal duty (on “Action Needs an Audience”). Singer/songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews provided backing vocals for a handful of tracks on Invented and joined the band on tour. Damage (RCA Records) arrived in 2013, this time with Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, No Doubt) at the helm. The next year, the group took to the road once again to celebrate another milestone: the ten-year anniversary of Futures.
The band’s ninth album landed in late 2016. Produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Nine Inch Nails, Paramore), Integrity Blues featured the singles “Get Right” and “Sure and Certain.” Well-received, the record reached the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard 200, and peaked at number four on the U.S. Alternative Albums chart. In 2019, Jimmy Eat World returned with their tenth set, Surviving, which was also produced by Meldal-Johnsen. More uptempo than Integrity Blues, the album dealt with themes of self-acceptance and sobriety, including tracks such as “All the Way (Stay)” and “Congratulations,” featuring vocals by Davey Havok (AFI, Blaqk Audio). In 2022, the band issued the stand-alone singles “Something Loud” and “Place Your Bets.”
The next year, the band toured the U.S. with Manchester Orchestra. To promote the jaunt, they covered each other’s songs, with Jimmy Eat World sharing their take on “Telepath” from Manchester Orchestra‘s The Million Masks of God (and the latter band tackling “Table for Glasses” from Clarity). ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi

As New Found Glory can attest, life moves quickly. Just three years after forming in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1997, the group were fast-tracked from local upstarts to mainstream stars on the back of ebullient pop melodies and hardcore-tinged breakdowns, setting off a blast of pop-punk dynamite that still lights the torch for modern acts more than two decades later. They became the voice of an underground movement, spurring iconic gold and platinum records (2000’s New Found Glory, 2002’s Sticks & Stones, and 2004’s Catalyst), countless MTV appearances, an entire subgenre (easycore) and sold-out tours the world over.
But, as the band have also learned, everything can get upended in the blink of an eye. In December 2021, fresh off the celebratory Pop Punk’s Still Not Dead Tour in support of their 10th album, Forever + Ever x Infinity, guitarist Chad Gilbert was found unresponsive in bed at home, rushed to a local hospital, and diagnosed with an 8-inch cancerous tumor, a rare pheochromocytoma. Hospital stays, surgery, and a long road to recovery followed – but, in typical New Found Glory fashion, so did the songs.
The band’s new acoustic album, Make The Most Of It (Revelation Records), tackles the last year head-on with their most emotional and cathartic collection of songs to date. The album is a rumination on what it means to grieve, to live, to approach every day with appreciation and a sense of fulfillment.

Linkin Park + Jean Dawson at Phx Arena
2025-09-06 19:30 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
LINKIN PARK is the magnetic hub of an emotional and cultural community—staggering in scope, intimate in connection, and wholly unique. Blending sonic and visual inspiration under the name Xero, later Hybrid Theory, before finally settling on LINKIN PARK, Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington, Brad Delson, Joseph Hahn, Rob Bourdon, and Dave “Phoenix” Farrell had no idea they were about to become the biggest rock band of their generation. In 2000, they released their first full-length, Hybrid Theory. Certified Diamond, it became “the bestselling debut of the 21st century.” Seven seminal albums followed: Meteora, Collision Course, Minutes To Midnight, A Thousand Suns, LIVING THINGS, The Hunting Party, and One More Light. LINKIN PARK has received multiple GRAMMY Awards, sold over 100 million albums worldwide, and notched five #1 Billboard debuts.
After the tragic loss of Bennington in 2017, the band came to a devastating halt; their future obscured by grief and unanswered questions. Friendships led the way. Mike, Brad, Phoenix, and Joe began making music together again. They met Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain, jam sessions organically morphed into recording, and LP quietly crafted a collection of songs channeling the open-hearted spontaneity of starting over: FROM ZERO. Earning some of the highest critical praise of their career, FROM ZERO peaked at #1 in 14 countries, igniting the triumphant FROM ZERO WORLD TOUR and LINKIN PARK’s continuing artistic evolution.

Rapper and singer Jean Dawson is known for his lyrical and hypnotic genre-mashing blend of hip-hop, trap, and experimental indie rock. He garnered widespread buzz with his 2019 EP Bad Sports and quickly followed in 2020 with his debut full-length, Pixel Bath. His sophomore album, Chaos Now*, arrived in 2022, and Glimmer of God appeared in 2024.
Born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, Dawson was raised in a biracial Black and Mexican family, and was first introduced to hip-hop by his parents. Growing up, he crossed the border for several years to attend school before moving with his family back to San Diego. From a young age, Dawson imbibed an eclectic mix of music, driven in part by his older brother’s love of downloading and his own voracious musical appetite. By his teens, he had developed a wide-ranging taste, listening to artists like Jay-Z, Kanye West, N.E.R.D., and Nirvana, as well as sundry other indie rock artists. He eventually discovered Bon Iver and Frank Ocean, and began writing his own songs, pushing his sound in more experimental directions. Working with producer/songwriter Lecx Stacy, he recorded his 2019 debut EP, Bad Sports. Included on the release were the tracks “Bull Fighter” and “’90s Green Screen.”
In October 2020, Dawson issued Pixel Bath, his first full-length studio album, which included a guest feature from A$AP Rocky on the song “Triple Double.” In late 2021, Dawson teamed with Mac DeMarco for collaborative track “Menthol*.” Shortly thereafter, he released “Porn Acting*,” the first single from his sophomore album, Chaos Now*. “3 Heads*” and “Pirate Radio*” also preceded the record, which was released in October 2022. The reflective “No Szns,” a collaboration with SZA, appeared in 2023. The following year brought the full-length Glimmer of God, which included features by Lil Yachty and BONES.

Coheed and Cambria + Taking Back Sunday at Arizona Financial Theatre
2025-09-14 18:30 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Ten albums in, something changed for Coheed and Cambria. As singer, guitarist, and storyteller Claudio Sanchez began plotting out the sci-fi-inspired New York prog legends’ latest, The Father of Make Believe, he found himself writing more directly about his life and, especially, his career. Amid the wailing guitars, cracking drums, and Sanchez’ powerful voice — centering listeners throughout moments placid and pinwheeling — Coheed devotees will still find plenty of character work and references to the lore. But if you’re new here, there’s no homework required to feel our host’s hopes, fears, battles, and triumphs. Of course, you may get drawn in anyway. Coheed — which includes Travis Stever (lead guitar), Josh Eppard (drums), and Zach Cooper (bass) — emerged in the early 2000s wedged between an emo renaissance and a metal revival. While their peers broke hearts and banged heads, they crafted Game of Thrones-level fantasies around their Amory Wars storyline, which unfurls across 78 planets known as Heaven’s Fence. Eight of the band’s albums thus far (plus a small galaxy of comics and novels) live in this space and so does The Father of Make Believe. It’s just that the sky is cracking, revealing the hand behind the scene. In the past, says Sanchez, “I’ve kept the struggles of my life private. When I can’t express myself in words, I express in worlds.” And yet, as he assumes the role of main character, Coheed are yet again finding new ways to bring us into their universe.

They’ve been making music together as a band for more than 20 years, have sold millions of albums—and along the way, amassed a devoted, international fan base. But ask the members of Taking Back Sunday if they still feel a burning desire to make a powerful impact and connect in a big way, and there’s not a moment of hesitation in the response. “I’m gonna try and conquer the world every time,” says lead singer Adam Lazzara with a smile.” Adds drummer Mark O’Connell: ”When we’re writing songs, the one thing we ask ourselves is, ‘will it make people feel something?’ You try to make people feel emotion. That’s the one goal we went in with, and I think we did it.”
This unrelenting pursuit of greatness lies at the heart of 152, Taking Back Sunday’s long-awaited, thrilling eighth studio album (and Fantasy Records debut) out October 27, 2023. Written and refined over the course of several years, the group’s first full-length offering since 2016’s Tidal Wave is a passionate, melody-infused confessional from a band forever known for its honesty and vulnerability. The 10-track LP was produced by Tushar Apte (whom the band met through a mutual collaboration with DJ Steve Aoki) and mixed by Neal Avron (Twenty One Pilots, Bleachers).
“What Mark describes was the process for “Amphetamine Smiles,” notes lead guitarist John Nolan. “When I brought that demo in, the band was vocal about making changes but not from some negative motivation. You have to be able to trust and listen to try to make the song better. We all had to do that constantly throughout the process of making this album, and it shows.”
“I genuinely feel we’re the band that hasn’t stopped and keeps getting better,” says Lazzara proudly of Taking Back Sunday’s unwavering creative spark. Adds bassist Shaun Cooper: “I really feel the sky’s the limit!”
When Taking Back Sunday first sat down together in late 2019 to begin working in earnest on what became 152, the band laid out some ground rules from the outset. They weren’t out to simply add more songs to their already-storied catalog, but rather make a piece of art they could be proud of. “We sat down and said, “Look, nothing mediocre is gonna stay,” recalls Lazzara. “So if you have a mediocre idea, keep simmering on it.”
To that end, so many of the songs that comprise 152 were workshopped like never before. As the band members explain, over the years they’ve learned to love letting a piece of music develop from its initial idea all the way to its sometimes drastically-different finished form. It’s a journey
they’ve undoubtebly been on many times before when making previous albums, but as they found out when making 152, it’s one that continues to thrill them and keep things fresh.
Lazzara gets animated as he describes how so many songs on 152 morphed over the multi-year writing and recording process. Whether it was “S’old” transforming from a punky, Green Day-style rocker into a slow-building, emotion-dripping plea for acceptance, or “I Am The Only One Who Knows You,” which evolved from a galloping rock song into a beatific ballad, so many of the songs that comprise 152 found Taking Back Sunday continually surprising one another with musical ideas in new and exciting ways.
“You would think after 20 years we know what each other is going to do,” offers Lazzara. “But there were so many times making this record where you would hear the initial idea and think, ‘I know where this is going,’ but then was super surprised where it ended up. It’s those kinds of surprises that make it so exciting. That’s why we all still want it so badly.” Adds Cooper: “If you can predict what each other is going to do, then it just becomes a job. It’s not an artistic expression. You’re not trying to grow.”
A major part of that growth is heard explicitly in 152’s unguarded lyrics: 20-plus years into Taking Back Sunday, Lazzara and Nolan are peeling back the curtain like never before. From the heartfelt recollections of the album’s epic opener “Amphetamine Smiles,” (We talked until the sun came up/It meant so much/we can’t remember what/You better save yourself before you try and save somebody else”), to the expressive yearning in lead single “The One” (“You were the one/Put me at ease/Brought out my best/I let you in/You ignored the mess/You didn’t mind”), listeners are invited into the songwriter’s collective heart.
“It’s often hard to turn off those other voices in your head: ‘OK, we gotta do what people expect. This is our lane,’ explains Lazzara. “I have to step out of that skin. We learned with Tidal Wave that if it’s the four of us playing it’s going to sound like Taking Back Sunday. Once we really embraced that sentiment, the world was our oyster. We were freed up to take chances.”
On the subject of the band’s renowned live performances, O’Connell didn’t mince words. “There’s no question, when it comes to the stage, no one is getting left behind,” he declared. “No one wants to be the weak link. We all want to step up our game up because we love it. The amount of effort we give on stage is crazy, especially with Nathan Cogan Post, who performs with us on the road. He’s a very big part of that effort as well. When you get a little older, you don’t want to waste time, time is what we got, so let’s make the most of it.”
When it came time to title the project, 152 was the only option. A section of road in North Carolina between Highpoint, Chapel Hill and Raleigh where the band and their friends would meet up as teenagers before seeing shows, 152 has become synomynous with Taking Back Sunday and has appeared in some form on every one of their album covers.
“We wanted something that represents us as a band and who we are now,” says Cooper of the title. “The universe was pointing us in that direction. This is what we have to do.” Adds Lazzara, “It was right there waiting for us. It was a nod to all our friends and our people.”
Revitalized and unusually optimistic, Taking Back Sunday is ready to embrace what lies ahead. “Normally it’s like, this is working right now, let’s just go with it and see what happens,” admits Lazzara. “But the process of making this record has helped get me to a point where I’m looking ahead. I’m so excited about the possibilities. You’ve got to keep moving forward. We need to continue building onto this wonderful world.”

Beneath the audible progress of Foxing’s 13 year career – from the chamber emo of debut The Albatross to the art pop of 2021’s Draw Down The Moon – has been a gradual movement towards self-sufficiency. Appropriately, the quartet of vocalist Conor Murphy, guitarist Eric Hudson, drummer Jon Hellwig, and bassist Brett Torrence chose to self-title their fifth LP simply, Foxing. The album was entirely produced by the band and mixed by Hudson. The cover art was created by Murphy and Torrence, and it is being released on the band’s own Grand Paradise label.
DIY requires doing, and Foxing was not an easy album to make. I share a studio space with the band and was an onlooker to the tedious two year process of its creation. I was jarred by explosive cheering as the band turned the basement hallway into a makeshift putting green during breaks. I overheard arguments that were decibels shy of shouting matches. It is fitting that tension is at the core of Foxing, an album that balances hopefulness and nihilism, the pastoral with the tumultuous. Whether oscillating between visceral noise rock & intimate bedroom cassette experiments on opener “Secret History” or cruising at the edge of collapse on “Barking,” the dramatic dynamics that have long permeated Foxing’s music have never felt so extreme. Five albums into a discography defined by its own restlessness, Foxing is a document of a band finding comfort in their own chaos.

Nine Inch Nails at Phx Arena
2025-09-16 19:30 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Pulling the harsh sounds of industrial rock into the mainstream, Trent Reznor and his band Nine Inch Nails became the face of industrial music in the ’90s with “Head Like a Hole,” “Closer,” and “Hurt” becoming hits and The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999) topping the charts. Nominated for over a dozen Grammys, NIN won Best Metal Performance awards in 1992 and 1996 for two tracks — “Wish” and “Happiness in Slavery” — from their metallic EP Broken. Extending into the 2000s, Reznor maintained his chart success, even as the band’s style shifted to incorporate atmospheric electronic elements influenced by his Oscar-winning film scores. In 2016, after decades as the only official member of the band, he welcomed English producer Atticus Ross — his longtime film scoring partner and bandmate in side project How to Destroy Angels — as NIN’s official second member. Over the next five years, the duo enjoyed a prolific period that saw additional new film scores as well as NIN projects like 2018’s Bad Witch LP and a continuation of their ongoing instrumental Ghosts series which saw two new entries in 2020’s Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts.
Michael Trent Reznor was born May 17, 1965, in New Castle, Pennsylvania and raised in Mercer, a small town outside Pittsburgh. His parents divorced when he was six and he was raised by his maternal grandparents. As a child, Reznor had already developed a keen interest in music. He learned to play piano, tenor sax, and tuba, playing in his school’s jazz and marching bands while also acting in high-school productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Music Man. Outside of the classical sphere, his biggest rock influence was Kiss, whose theatricality and live shows would later inform NIN’s acclaimed stage production. While studying music and computer engineering at local Allegheny College, he was a fleeting member of new wave outfit Option 30, contributing vocals and keyboards before parting ways with the band when he dropped out of school to pursue music full-time. He packed up and moved to Cleveland, Ohio with his friend Chris Vrenna, who later became a founding member of the first incarnation of NIN.
While in Cleveland, Reznor was drawn to new wave and the industrial sounds of Ministry and Skinny Puppy. He gigged around town for a few years, playing in cover band the Urge before joining the Innocent as their keyboardist. The latter band released a single full-length, 1985’s Livin’ in the Street (Red Label Records), before Reznor quit. He soon hooked up with synth pop group Exotic Birds, contributing keys, programming, and backing vocals, while also recruiting Vrenna on drums. Despite their brief run together, Reznor appeared with the band in the 1987 Michael J. Fox/Joan Jett film Light of Day as a fictional band dubbed The Problems. His final roles in the local keyboardist circuit were with pop outfit Slam Bamboo — they issued a single “White Lies”/”Cry Like a Baby” in 1988 — and new wavers Lucky Pierre, whose vocalist Kevin McMahon would later form Prick, one of the first signees to Reznor‘s future record label, Nothing Records.
During these stints, Reznor continued to work on his own material while employed as an assistant engineer and handyman at Cleveland’s Right Track studio. When the shop closed for the day, owner Bart Koster allowed Reznor to use the facilities for free. The seeds from these early recording sessions — on which he played keyboards, drums, guitars, and samplers himself — would grow into Nine Inch Nails’ first demo, Purest Feeling. After making NIN’s live debut as tour openers for Skinny Puppy, Reznor shopped the demo tape around the U.S., landing a deal with indie label TVT Records. Reznor quickly returned to the studio to polish existing Purest Feeling tracks and record some new songs. The result, 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine, presented a dark, synth-soaked vision of industrial that was also hook-heavy and accessible. Combined with a lyrical focus on sex, self-loathing, betrayal, angst, and religion, these attributes would become hallmarks of Reznor‘s early-era material. Pretty Hate Machine only peaked at number 75 on the Billboard 200, but a burgeoning cult following helped maintain its chart presence and sales. Buoyed by radio and MTV airplay for singles “Down in It” and “Head Like a Hole,” it became the first independent release to receive platinum certification to date.
Promotion of Pretty Hate Machine kept the band (then primarily composed of Reznor, Richard Patrick, Chris Vrenna, and various drummers/keyboardists) on the road for years, spreading NIN’s fan base across genre lines by not only opening for Skinny Puppy, but also alternative/goth acts the Jesus and Mary Chain and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. Their American reach expanded in 1991 when they joined inaugural Lollapalooza tour, playing alongside Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Violent Femmes, Rollins Band, Lords of Acid, Jane’s Addiction, and more. Days after the conclusion of Lollapalooza, NIN shipped off to Europe, opening a pair of shows for Guns N’ Roses and penetrating the German industrial market.
When NIN returned to the U.S., Reznor became embroiled in a lengthy legal feud with TVT, which was eager to pump out another, similar-sounding hit album, constricting his creativity in the process. In secret, he signed a new deal with Interscope Records and created the vanity label Nothing Records. The band relocated to a new studio in Los Angeles and began recording a batch of aggressive songs inspired by punk and metal. With production by Flood and drumming by Martin Atkins and Vrenna, the Broken EP landed in September 1992, peaking inside the Top Ten on the Billboard 200. In addition to the Grammy-winning single “Wish,” the effort also included covers of Adam and the Ants‘ “(You’re So) Physical” and Reznor‘s collaboration with Pigface, “Suck.” Reznor enhanced his reputation as a provocateur with a widely banned music video for “Happiness in Slavery,” which depicted S&M performance artist Bob Flanagan being torn apart by a machine. There was also a near-mythical, long-form clip for Broken that was never officially released commercially due to its graphic content (a torture victim is dismembered while viewing NIN videos). Bootleg versions became a prized fan commodity and a remastered version found its way onto the Internet in 2006. The Broken era came to a close with NIN’s first remix EP, Fixed.
Still based in the Los Angeles studio dubbed Le Pig — coincidentally built in the same house where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by Charles Manson‘s followers in 1969 — Reznor began work on the highly anticipated follow-up to Pretty Hate Machine. A concept album centered on the protagonist’s titular descent into self-destruction, The Downward Spiral arrived in March 1994 and debuted at number two. Widely considered to be Reznor‘s masterwork, The Downward Spiral is often cited as one of the most important albums of the ’90s, presenting a bleak, nihilistic version of NIN that would nonetheless break the band into the mainstream. Hit single “Closer” was a staple on both MTV and radio, despite its graphic music video and lyrical content, while “Hurt” became a live fixture for NIN, receiving a second life in 2003 through Johnny Cash‘s stripped-down cover version.
The Downward Spiral was anything but for the band, launching them further into the public consciousness and prompting an industry push for soundalikes Gravity Kills, Stabbing Westward, and Filter on rock radio. NIN promoted the effort with the Self Destruct Tour, which featured Vrenna on drums, James Woolley on keyboards, Robin Finck on guitar, and Danny Lohner on bass. Already a formidable concert presence, NIN’s reputation grew with chaotic performances that often ended in destroyed equipment and serious injuries. That intense commitment to their live show reached into American living rooms in the summer of 1994 with their show-stealing, mud-covered set from Woodstock ’94, which won them another Grammy for the live recording of “Happiness in Slavery.” After the release of the remix album Further Down the Spiral, NIN continued to tour, supported by then-newcomers Marilyn Manson, before joining major influence David Bowie on the co-headlining Dissonance Tour.
During this period, Reznor took his first step into the world of film, assembling the soundtrack to Oliver Stone‘s controversial movie Natural Born Killers, which included the previously unreleased NIN song “Burn,” as well as edits of “Something I Can Never Have” and “A Warm Place.” Another track, a cover of Joy Division‘s “Dead Souls,” was featured on the soundtrack for The Crow. Reznor also contributed vocals to Tori Amos‘ “Past the Mission” from her album Under the Pink.
After the conclusion of the Spiral era, NIN entered a period of hibernation. Although Reznor remained active — producing Marilyn Manson‘s breakthrough sophomore effort, Antichrist Superstar, and contributing the NIN single “The Perfect Drug” to the Reznor-produced soundtrack to David Lynch‘s Lost Highway — a growing case of writer’s block, struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, and public pressure put a hold on album number three. Encamped at the newly constructed Nothing Studios in New Orleans, a reclusive Reznor spent five years crafting that follow-up, which arrived in 1999.
Influenced by the passing of Reznor‘s maternal grandmother, the deterioration of his friendship with Manson, and his increasing addictions, the conceptual double-disc opus The Fragile debuted at the top of the charts and was certified double platinum within months. Meticulously produced by Reznor and Alan Moulder, the album included singles “We’re in This Together,” “The Day the World Went Away,” “Into the Void,” and “Starfuckers, Inc.” The remix LP Things Falling Apart featured interpretations of Fragile tracks, as well as the unreleased “10 Miles High” and Gary Numan cover “Cars.” On the supporting Fragility tour, the NIN lineup featured Reznor, Finck, and Lohner, as well as newcomers Charlie Clouser on keyboards and Jerome Dillon on drums. That trek spawned a tour documentary titled And All That Could Have Been, which was accompanied by a live recording and limited-edition EP, Still, which featured stripped-down versions of NIN deep cuts, as well as previously unreleased recordings from the era.
Toward the end of the Fragile years, Reznor entered rehab after an unexpected overdose in London, putting NIN on hold until they returned in 2005. Sober and refocused, Reznor inaugurated this new chapter with an equally hungry release, fourth LP With Teeth.
Unlike prior albums, With Teeth traded gloom, frustration, and pain for outward aggression, matured emotions, and Reznor‘s first attempts at sociopolitical commentary, also marking a turning point for NIN that informed the vocal delivery, production, and collaborative spirit of the band into the next decade. In addition to production by Reznor and Moulder, the taut set featured programming by Atticus Ross and live percussion by Dave Grohl. In addition to being the band’s second straight number one, With Teeth also included a trio of chart-topping singles: “The Hand That Feeds,” “Only,” and “Every Day Is Exactly the Same.” A lengthy tour — featuring the lineup of Reznor, bassist Jeordie White (aka Marilyn Manson‘s Twiggy Ramirez), keyboardist Alessandro Cortini, guitarist Aaron North, and drummers Josh Freese/Jerome Dillon — accompanied the release, documented on 2007’s Beside You in Time.
While the first decade of NIN’s existence was marked by mystery and long periods of silence between major releases, the reinvigorated outfit began churning out material in earnest after With Teeth. In early 2007, a multimedia promotional effort was rolled out to earnest fans who deciphered clues found on T-shirts, websites, and strategically placed USB drives placed hidden throughout Europe. Part of a high-concept alternate reality game, they revealed a fictional story of a future dystopian America and a burgeoning resistance movement, all of which was inspired by George W. Bush‘s presidency and the post-9/11 Iraq invasion. This overtly political concept was at the core of Year Zero, which arrived in April on Interscope Records. Delving deeper into digital soundscapes, Reznor was once again joined by Ross, who was promoted from assistant to producer (a position he would hold until becoming an official member of NIN a decade later). The promotional tour took the band through Europe, Australia, the U.S., and Asia, notable for featuring NIN’s first stop in mainland China at the Beijing Pop Festival that September. While a television show and movie were planned to accompany the Year Zero story, those never came to fruition. The album cycle closed with Year Zero Remixed, which featured reinterpretations by Ladytron, Bill Laswell, the Faint, and rapper Saul Williams, whose third effort, 2007’s The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, was produced by Reznor.
During this prolific period, NIN also released the four-part ambient instrumental album Ghosts I-IV — released on Reznor‘s new label, The Null Corporation — as well as the surprise album The Slip. Both 2008 efforts were available for free in their digital formats. While The Slip charted outside the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 and the single “Discipline” became another rock chart hit, Ghosts was nominated for a pair of Grammy Awards (and the track “34 Ghosts IV” would crash the mainstream in an interesting way in 2019). Continuing the direct-to-fans approach, NIN later provided live footage from their accompanying Lights in the Sky tour to online fans, who stitched the pieces together to create a documentary dubbed Another Version of the Truth.
The next year, NIN embarked on another trek, the forebodingly dubbed Wave Goodbye tour. When the journey concluded, the band entered an official extended hiatus, during which time Reznor and Ross focused on film scores for director David Fincher (2010’s Oscar-winning The Social Network, 2011’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and 2014’s Gone Girl). The pair also formed a side project with Reznor‘s wife, Mariqueen Maandig, called How to Destroy Angels. Essentially NIN with a female vocalist, the outfit released a pair of EPs in 2010 and 2012, as well as a full-length album in 2013. Months after the conclusion of their first tour, NIN returned with their eighth album.
The Grammy-nominated Hesitation Marks (Columbia/The Null Corporation) was issued in August 2013. Produced by Reznor, Ross, and Moulder, it debuted at number three on the charts and included the Top Ten single “Came Back Haunted” as well as “Copy of A” and “Everything.” Guest collaborators on the album included Pino Palladino, Lindsey Buckingham, and Adrian Belew. The ensuing Tension arena tour featured backup vocalists Lisa Fischer and Sharlotte Gibson alongside another revamped lineup that included Reznor, Finck, Cortini, Palladino, drummer Ilan Rubin, and guitarist Josh Eustis. NIN extended the Hesitation Marks cycle into 2014 with a co-headlining tour with fellow ’90s mainstays Soundgarden. That same year, NIN were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The following year, NIN began the rollout of remastered reissues of past albums. The Fragile appeared in instrumental form exclusively on a streaming platform, with an accompanying collection of instrumental, alternate, and unreleased songs collected as The Fragile: Deviations 1. After the completion of scores for Before the Flood and Patriots Day, Reznor announced a multi-year project that resulted in a NIN EP/short album trilogy, which started with late 2016’s Not the Actual Events. A return to the abrasive industrial of the band’s earlier days, the five-song set featured the brooding track “She’s Gone Away” and special guests Mariqueen Maandig, Dave Grohl, and Dave Navarro. Also, after decades of NIN liner notes reading “Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor,” it was announced that Ross had become a permanent member of the band.
In the summer of 2017, the second installment of the series arrived. Add Violence debuted in the Top 20 and spawned the radio hit “Less Than,” which climbed the Mainstream Rock and Alternative Songs charts. A year later, the trilogy ended with Bad Witch, which was officially issued as the band’s ninth album. Notable for lead single “God Break Down the Door” — featuring jazz saxophone and Reznor singing with a Bowie-esque croon — Bad Witch also included vocals from the Cult‘s Ian Astbury and Mariqueen Maandig on “Shit Mirror.” In support of the effort, NIN embarked on a 2018 tour dubbed Cold and Black and Infinite, which reunited Reznor with the Jesus and Mary Chain after opening for them almost three decades prior.
In 2019, NIN experienced a pop culture resurgence, reaching a fresh audience through some unlikely sources. In addition to a savvy pairing with Captain Marvel — which saw the titular superhero donning a vintage NIN shirt throughout much of the film — the band returned to the charts through a clever cover (a pop makeover of “Head Like a Hole” called “On a Roll,” which was performed by fictional pop star Ashley O, depicted by Miley Cyrus) and a strategic sample (Lil Nas X‘s use of “34 Ghosts IV” in his record-breaking hit single “Old Town Road,” which later made Reznor and Ross Country Music Award winners). To close the year, the pair crafted a trio of very NIN-esque scores for the HBO series Watchmen.
At the start of the 2020s, as the world was in the grip of a global pandemic, NIN revived their Ghosts series with the sequels Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts, nearly two-dozen additions to the series inspired by the need for connection in an uncertain time. NIN were also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020 (by Iggy Pop no less), which would be celebrated years later as the pandemic eased. In the interim, Reznor and Ross won another Oscar for their score to the animated film Soul, hopped onto HEALTH‘s song “Isn’t Everyone,” and produced Halsey‘s Grammy-nominated If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. In 2022, NIN were finally able to celebrate their Rock Hall induction with a historic hometown show in Cleveland that featured a surprise encore featuring Richard Patrick, Chris Vrenna, Danny Lohner, Alessandro Cortini, Robin Finck, Ilan Rubin, and Charlie Clouser. In addition to performing a selection of early NIN classics, they even performed Filter‘s “Hey Man Nice Shot.”
While NIN remained quiet through 2023, Reznor and Ross appeared on Fever Ray‘s “Even It Out” from Radical Romantics and they crafted scores for Bones and All, Empire of Light, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Killer, and Challengers. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi

BOYS NOIZE (Alex Ridha) builds worlds, then builds bridges between them. Propelled by an infatuation with sonic invention and a prescience for subculture, the German-Iraqi artist, DJ and producer has developed a peerless practice that is both deeply informed by electronic music history and determinedly transcending conventions. As an international festival headliner and A-list producer, BOYS NOIZE embodies the transformation and expansion of 21st century techno, house and electro into the current zeitgeist, and he has the GRAMMY win to prove it. Yet as a Berliner and lifelong DJ, he remains dedicated to the underground, regularly flexing the decks at techno meccas and experimenting through a multiplicity of multi-genre aliases. Some fans find BOYS NOIZE through his productions for A$AP ROCKY and FRANK OCEAN, or his film scores for OLIVER STONE’s “Snowden”; through his house hit “Mvinline”, or his collaborative projects OCTAVE MINDS and DOG BLOOD with SKRILLEX, as well as an EP and OFF-WHITE capsule collection with VIRGIL ABLOH; through his remixes for DAFT PUNK, YEAH YEAH YEAHs and DEPECHE MODE, his features with RICO NASTY, PUSSY RIOT and KELSEY LU, or reworks of SHYGIRL, SEGA BODEGA and SOPHIE; through this year’s blazing run of 140+ bpm techno tracks and remixes, or the massive “Fine Day Anthem” with SKRILLEX. BOYS NOIZE’s most important collaboration of all, however, is with the ravers that join him across the globe from basements to warehouses to the main stage.

Chevelle + Asking Alexandria & Dead Poet Societ at Arizona Financial Theatre
2025-09-21 19:00 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
CHEVELLE is the understated musical powerhouse who have continually delivered rock anthems for the past 24 years. 7 number one hits, 17 songs reaching the top 10 charts, over 4 million records sold in the USA and many more worldwide. Platinum and gold albums across their 8 studio records and successful live CD and two live DVD releases completes their extensive body of work to date. It’s all credit to their continuing dedication to be true to their craft, the genre and their fans. Chevelle’s last two album releases, La Gargola and The North Corridor both debuted #1 on the Billboard rock charts and #3 and #8 respectively, on the Billboard top 200 charts. With no signs of this Chicago alternative rock trio slowing down any time soon, their numerous chart-topping releases have certainly earned this band a place in American rock music history. After more than two decades together, numerous releases, and countless worldwide tours, the band consisting of brothers, Pete Loeffler [guitars, vocals] and Sam Loeffler [drums], have confidently sailed through decades of uncharted waters and have emerged with a collection that’s equally intricate and intimate.

Metal Hammer declared See What’s On The Inside (2021), “an outrageously infectious ode to classic rock.” Forbes noted the album’s visceral connection to early Asking Alexandria influences like Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, and Pantera. After “Alone Again” hit No. 1 on Active Rock, “Never Gonna Learn” (from the 2022 E.P. of the same name) went to No. 6. The band boasts over 1.4B combined streams and over 700 million views of their music videos on YouTube. Asking Alexandria offers reverence to touchstone icons like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Queen, with a relentless urgency harkening back to their early days as metalcore upstarts. In 2023, long-time comrades Ben Bruce (lead guitar), Danny Worsnop (vocals), Cameron Liddell (guitar), Sam Bettley (bass), and James Cassells (drums) ride a creative high with their forthcoming eighth studio album kicked off by the immediate success of the arresting, catchy, and sober “Dark Void.” “With the world seemingly getting darker and darker, so many of us struggle with anxiety, depression, loneliness,” Bruce says of the next album’s themes. “We are all on our own journey with unique challenges, but we have our inner strength to fall back on.” Even as their creative ambitions continue to grow, that transcendent connection between Artist Audience remains the essential lifeblood pumping through the heart of Asking Alexandria. From personal struggles to career highs and everything in between, this band truly understands.

A perfect symbol for Dead Poet Society is the “shitty old seven-string” that guitarist Jack Collins bought at a mall back in high school.
“Our former bass player actually took a soldering iron and soldered the frets off,” he recalls. “You couldn’t play it normally at all. I thought it was going to be a great idea. Years later it was sitting in my closet, and I decided to pick it up again because I got really bored. It became the new way for us to write music — it opened up a door into this whole new world we discovered.”
“It was like, ‘This is the guitar,’ he adds. “It’s like taking something broken and creating art out of it.”
With its wonky intonation, the instrument can’t produce traditional chords or scales — an unlikely choice for a rock band with such strong commercial potential. Collins and frontman Jack Underkofler are a factory of hooky riffs, even at their most detuned and menacing; and the latter barks and coos with a crystalline purity that recalls Jeff Buckley and Muse’s Matt Bellamy.
That contrast is crucial to the band’s debut LP, -!- out February 12, 2021 via Spinefarm Records. Take the bruising belter “Been Here Before,” which pairs a stadium-sized chorus with angular guitars and Dylan Brenner’s blown-out fuzz bass; “I Never Loved Myself Like I Loved You” opens with the fidelity of an iPhone demo before blooming into a cinematic dream-pop singalong anchored by Will Goodroad’s rim-click drum groove. Brenner is a new addition to the lineup, but his experience as the band’s touring stand-in for the duration of their career has made him a natural fit.
It’s no surprise that Dead Poet Society like screwing with rock conventions — that’s been their aim since forming in 2013 as students at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Hilariously, at least in retrospect, it did take them a bit to find common ground.
“My best friend drummed for them, and I convinced him to leave the band,” Underkofler says with a laugh. “Six months later, Jack asked me to sing on a couple songs they’d written. My apprehension came from the fact that they were kind of a meme for being one of the worst bands at school. I kind of tried to push away — our old bassist just kept asking me, ‘Do you want to write with us?’ One day he showed up on my door step and I was like, ‘Fuck.’ After I wrote my first song with them [“145″], I was like, ‘I think there’s something here.’”
The newly solidified quartet quickly developed a chemistry: Underkofler and Collins had a mutual love of Coldplay, but their tastes sprawled over time along with drummer Will Goodroad: heavy acts like Royal Blood and Led Zeppelin, modern art-pop artists like St. Vincent, even hip-hop experimentalists like Tyler, the Creator. Not all of those influences are detectable on the largely self-produced -!-, which features a handful of tracks co-helmed by studio veteran Alex Newport. But that eclecticism makes sense, given their distaste for most modern rock.
“It’s just lame,” Collins says. “It has been for like 10 years. I think that’s because people are paying too much umbrage to classic rock — there’s this ‘passing of the torch’ thing that I think is just bullshit. Heavy music is the way we communicate — it happens to be rock music, but the expression itself and what we’re trying to say and how we want to make people feel is unique. That’s what bands used to do, and I think that’s what a lot of hip-hop artists do nowadays.”
“Our goal,” he emphasizes, “is to make someone feel something they haven’t felt before.”

Falling in Reverse at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-09-24 18:30 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
FALLING IN REVERSE return with 2024’s Popular Monster, the postmodern trailblazer’s first full-length in seven years. The album arrives armed with no less than three RIAA-certified gold singles (“ZOMBIFIED,” “Voices in My Head,” “Watch the World Burn”), the double-platinum title track, a reimagined nü-metal classic, and six brand new anthems of furious metal, melody, and hip-hop.
Popular Monster is a defiant statement and triumphant victory for singer, songwriter, bandleader, and provocateur Ronnie Radke, who invented Falling In Reverse inside a prison cell.
Radke fills the fifth full-length from Falling In Reverse with invincible and irresistible songs that resonate across generations and genres. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Tyler Smyth (I Prevail, Skillet, Lights), Popular Monster is full of confessional angst, bravado, and clever wordplay.
Ronnie formed a series of pop-punk bands in Las Vegas as a teenager, culminating in the creation of Escape The Fate. The metalcore group’s meteoric rise coincided with the singer’s spiral into addiction. By the time he was sentenced to two years in prison, the band he started had moved on without him. Some fans, critics, and industry types figured his story would end there.

Slaughter To Prevail is pushing heavy music to new extremes, delivering unapologetically hard modern metal while smashing expectations, and becoming one of the most talked about bands in heavy music in the process.
Slaughter To Prevail’s journey began in the most unlikely of ways: two musicians from completely different worlds. Alex Terrible, forging his monstrous vocals from a small bedroom in the cold, rural Russian city of Yekaterinburg, crossed paths online with guitarist Jack Simmons, who sharpened his craft in a quiet town on the outskirts of Essex, UK. What started as a distant collaboration quickly turned into a brotherhood, as their exchanges of ideas took shape, songs were formed and it became apparent to Jack and Alex that they were on to something special.
All of this momentum leads to “Grizzly”, their most anticipated release yet. Featuring the already released singles ‘Conflict,’ ‘Viking,’ ‘1984,’ ‘Behelit,’ and ‘Kid of Darkness,’ the album is a relentless assault, balancing raw aggression with massive, unforgettable catchiness.
This is Slaughter To Prevail’s moment. “Grizzly” is the culmination of everything they have built, a defining record that cements their place at the top of modern heavy music.

Hollywood Undead hail from the streets of Hollywood, California, mixing brash hip-hop, rock, and minor metalcore touches with cocky posturing. With their colorful pseudonyms and unique hockey goal tender-inspired masks, the band debuted in 2008 with Swan Songs, but didn’t hit their commercial stride until the release of their 2011 sophomore effort, American Tragedy, which cracked the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 chart. Subsequent outings like Notes from the Underground (2013), Five (2017), the two-volume New Empire (2020), and Hotel Kalifornia, performed just as well, if not better, cementing the group’s reputation as one of rapcore’s leading lights.
Owing much of their popularity and exposure to the social networking website MySpace, the group started as the musical project of J-Dog and Tha Producer in June 2005. They uploaded some new music to their profile and very quickly started amassing song plays and online friends with tracks about drinking, sex, and emo kids. “The gang,” as the guys liked to refer to themselves, grew to include six members: J-Dog and Tha Producer alongside Charlie Scene, Johnny 3 Tears (formerly called the Server), Funny Man, and Da Kurlzz. As the band’s online profile steadily increased, MySpace head honcho Tom Anderson wasn’t immune and wound up featuring Hollywood Undead’s song “No. 5” on MySpace’s first compilation album, in addition to giving them the distinction of being the first act signed to the site’s new record label (distributed by Interscope) in 2005.
Swan Songs finally appeared in 2008 on A&M/Octone Records. A year later, that label released an album of B-sides, live tracks, and covers titled Desperate Measures. In 2010, vocalist Aron “Deuce” Erlichman left the group; he was replaced by Daniel “Danny” Murillo, a former contestant on American Idol and lead singer of Lorene Drive. After shows with Avenged Sevenfold on The Nightmare After Christmas Tour, Hollywood Undead released their sophomore album, American Tragedy, in April of 2011, and the album debuted in the Top Five of Billboard’s Top 200. The following November, A&M/Octone Records released a remix version of the record called American Tragedy Redux, which featured mixes by Andrew W.K., Borgore, and KMFDM, among others.
In January of 2013, after embarking on The Underground Tour, Hollywood Undead released their third studio album, Notes from the Underground, which proved to be their highest-charting outing to date, landing at the number two spot on the Billboard Top 200 and soaring to number one on the Canadian albums chart. Their hotly anticipated fourth studio album, Day of the Dead, arrived in March 2015, and was preceded by the singles “Usual Suspects,” “Gravity,” “How We Roll,” and the explosive title cut. The band returned to the studio in late 2016 to record its fifth studio album, Five. With their contract with Interscope finished, Hollywood Undead set up their own label, Dove & Grenade Media, in collaboration with BMG to release the album. The first single, “California Dreaming” — a scathing look at the inequalities between the two sides of Los Angeles culture — was released in mid-2017, with the full-length Five arriving later that October. In 2018 the Undead released the standalone single “Gotta Let Go,” a summery blast of feel-good nostalgia about letting go of pain. The EP Psalms also arrived that year. Two years later, the band released their sixth album, New Empire, Vol. 1. A deliberate attempt to change their sound, it was heavier than before, with more electronic elements. The like-minded sequel, New Empire, Vol. 2., arrived in 2020. In 2022, the band issued their eighth full-length effort, the confident and earworm-friendly Hotel Kalifornia. Two years later, they inked a deal with Sumerian Records and issued “Hollywood Forever,” an anthem written to honor their legions of fans.

Point North are an American band based in Los Angeles, California consisting of Jon Lundin (vocals), Andy Hershey (guitar) and Sage Weeber (drums). The band is signed to Hopeless records and released their debut album Brand New Vision in August of 2020, featuring popular song Into The Dark. To date, the band have only headlined once on a sold North American tour in April 2022.
Point North dropped their sophomore record Prepare For Despair in August of 2023. The album is said to feature a heavier sound from the trio, touching upon themes including mental health issues. From this album, the band’s second radio single Below The Belt, featuring Set It Off impacted rock radio on October 17th 2023 and was most added in the country.

Marilyn Manson at The Van Buren
2025-09-28 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Marilyn Manson is a perpetually controversial presence and one of the key figures in aggressive, boundary-challenging rock music. Manson became a mainstream antihero in the 1990s — much to the chagrin of conservative politicians, religious leaders, and concerned parents — ruffling feathers and shocking the masses with his dark brand of glam-influenced industrial metal, outspoken social commentary, and incendiary live shows. The self-proclaimed “Antichrist Superstar,” he peddled a disquieting vision of society that focused on sex, drugs, violence, politics, and organized religion, which pushed many of his singles — including “The Dope Show,” “The Beautiful People,” and a cover of Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — into the upper reaches of the modern rock charts during the late ’90s and early 2000s. During his band’s commercial peak, the conceptual triptych of Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals, and Holy Wood won him a legion of die-hard fans while also attracting media attention and cultural notoriety. Following 2003’s The Golden Age of Grotesque, Manson entered his next era with a trio of releases that marked a downturn in mainstream popularity and sales. However, at the turn of the following decade, he staged a late-era comeback with a string of critically acclaimed albums: The Pale Emperor (2015), Heaven Upside Down (2017), and We Are Chaos (2020). After a series of abuse allegations came to light and he was dropped by his label and longtime manager, Manson remained out of the public eye until 2024, when he returned with his 12th album, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1.
Born Brian Warner, Manson was raised in Canton, Ohio. At the age of 18, he relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida, where he worked as a music journalist. In 1989, he became friends with guitarist and fellow outsider Scott Mitchell Putesky; the two soon decided to form a band, with Putesky rechristening himself Daisy Berkowitz and Warner adopting the name Marilyn Manson. With the addition of bassist Gidget Gein and keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy, the group — originally dubbed Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids — began self-releasing cassettes and playing gigs, their gothic stage shows notable for Manson’s elaborate makeup and homemade special effects. Jettisoning their drum machine in favor of Sara Lee Lucas, the band’s sound began taking on a harder edge, and by 1992 they were among the most popular and notorious acts in the South Florida underground.
In 1993, Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor came calling, offering both a contract with his Nothing Records label as well as the chance to open for NIN the following spring; Manson accepted both offers, and the group’s debut LP, Portrait of an American Family, appeared during the summer of 1994. With new bassist Twiggy Ramirez replacing Gein, the band’s notoriety soared. Most infamously, during an appearance in Salt Lake City, Manson ripped apart a copy of the Book of Mormon while on-stage. The Church of Satan’s founder, Anton LaVey, also bestowed upon him the title of “Reverend,” further stoking conservatives’ fears. Manson’s cult following continued to swell, and the band broke into the mainstream with the release of 1995’s Smells Like Children EP, propelled by their enduring hit cover of Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” Berkowitz quit a short time later and was replaced by guitarist Zim Zum, and the revised group saw their next LP, 1996’s conceptual opus Antichrist Superstar, debut at the number three spot on the pop album charts and sell nearly two million copies in the U.S. alone. Produced by Trent Reznor, the multi-platinum Antichrist Superstar became the band’s most influential and defining statement. As Manson’s popularity grew, so did the furor surrounding him. His concerts were regularly picketed by civic groups, and his music was the subject of widespread attacks from right-wing and religious fronts.
Manson continued to court controversy in 1998 with the glam-inspired Mechanical Animals, which included cover art depicting the singer as a naked androgynous alien. The album became the band’s first to top the charts and spawned the singles “The Dope Show” and “I Don’t Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me).” While the resulting tour yielded a live album, Last Tour on Earth, the trek was cut short in early 1999 after the band was erroneously blamed for influencing the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre. Out of respect for the public, the group retreated from the spotlight and returned to the studio.
The third and final part of a thematic album triptych, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) arrived at the end of 2000, just barely missing the Top Ten. One of Manson’s most sprawling conceptual pieces, the politically charged Holy Wood included the singles “Disposable Teens” and “The Fight Song.” The band returned to the road and toured to support the album during much of 2001. That December, Manson’s version of “Tainted Love” appeared on the Not Another Teen Movie soundtrack, becoming an unexpected European chart hit.
Freed from the mythology of his prior trio of albums, Manson found inspiration for his fifth effort in the sounds of burlesque, cabaret, and the excess of Weimar-era Germany. Longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez amicably left the group before recording and his spot was filled by Tim Skold (ex-KMFDM). The result was 2003’s The Golden Age of Grotesque, which spent a week atop the album charts and ended up on several critics’ year-end Top Ten lists. The singles “This Is the New Shit” and “Mobscene” also became live staples for years to come, debuted on the accompanying Grotesk Burlesk tour. As the Grotesque period drew to a close, so too did the stints of longtime members Madonna Wayne Gacy and John 5, who left the group between album releases. The following year, another symbolic end to the era arrived in the form of a greatest-hits affair titled Lest We Forget. The collection covered the band’s career highlights — from Portrait‘s first single, “Get Your Gunn,” to a 2004 cover version of Depeche Mode‘s “Personal Jesus” — and earned gold status in multiple countries. At this point, Manson began to branch out from music, displaying his watercolor paintings at art exhibitions, dabbling in filmmaking, and producing his own absinthe.
With the curtains closed on his peak mainstream period, Manson’s output also took an inward turn, thematically shifting from the grandiose concepts of his peak mainstream period to more personal statements. This next stage began with 2007’s Eat Me, Drink Me. Debuting a darker emotional perspective and an increase in singing, the record was written, performed, and produced entirely by Manson and Skold. Landing in the Billboard 200’s Top Ten, the set included the singles “Heart-Shaped Glasses” and “Putting Holes in Happiness.” Skold parted with Manson shortly thereafter and was replaced by returning member and right-hand man Twiggy Ramirez. Manson and Ramirez then began writing material for the band’s seventh studio album, The High End of Low, which arrived in spring 2009 and reached number four on the charts.
In 2011, during preparation for the release of the band’s eighth studio album, longtime drummer Ginger Fish announced he had left the group. On his own, Manson forged ahead, premiering Born Villain, a short film directed by Shia La Beouf that served as support for his forthcoming album of the same name. One of his lowest-performing albums to date, Born Villain featured the track “No Reflection,” which managed to become his highest-charting single in almost a decade.
Despite the creative musical slump, Manson remained busy with other exploits, furthering his acting career with film and television roles, including a fortuitous appearance on the show Californication, where he met score composer Tyler Bates (Guardians of the Galaxy, John Wick, 300). The pair hit it off and began recording what would become Manson’s big comeback. His ninth album overall, The Pale Emperor was released in January 2015 on Loma Vista in the U.S. and Cooking Vinyl internationally. Favored by critics as one of the band’s best late-era efforts, the blues-rock-inspired album peaked in the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 and topped the Hard Rock chart. Capitalizing on the creative momentum, Manson and Bates extended their partnership in 2017 with another collaboration. Originally titled Say10, Heaven Upside Down — Manson’s tenth album — featured the singles “We Know Where You F*cking Live” and “Kill4Me.” The set placed Manson back on the pop Top Ten and was supported by extensive touring, including a summer jaunt that reunited Manson with fellow shock-rock veteran Rob Zombie. At the start of their joint tour, Manson issued a cover of the song “Cry Little Sister” and a duet with Zombie covering the Beatles‘ “Helter Skelter.” More cover singles arrived in 2019, namely “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” and “The End” by the Doors.
The 2020s were ushered in by Manson’s 11th full-length, We Are Chaos, which was produced by outlaw country musician Shooter Jennings. Released that September, the set yielded the singles “Don’t Chase the Dead” and the title track. Months later, in January 2021, multiple allegations of abuse against Manson were made public. Subsequently, he was dropped by Loma Vista, his talent agency, and his manager of 25 years. He was also removed from scheduled appearances on television shows American Gods and Creepshow. Keeping out of the spotlight over the next few years, he returned in 2024, opening a tour with Five Finger Death Punch and issuing a handful of singles (“Raise the Red Flag,” “As Sick as the Secrets Within,” and “Sacrilegious”) which appeared on his 12th studio set, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1.

When the universe aligns, magic happens. This was certainly the case when Shavo Odadjian, the legendary bass player of System of a Down, crossed paths with producer and multi-instrumentalist Morgoth at a party on 2.22.22. Their initial sessions were a spontaneous combustion of creativity, transforming from a potential solo venture into a full-fledged band. “We wrote a song right away. It wasn’t like any writing session I had been part of before, riffs were just flowing out of me without me even having to try. Every time I felt like I couldn’t write anything. Morgoth would hand me a guitar and say, “go, go, go”. I needed that, you know? I needed someone to push me when I wasn’t pushing myself. ” Shavo recalls. As music continued to pour out in torrents, with Shavo writing and performing all the guitar and bass parts and Morgoth producing and providing the beats, atmospherics and FX, Morgoth suggested they turn it into a Shavo solo project. However, with his eye now firmly set on the live arena, Shavo decided to create a full band.

BRING ME THE HORIZON at PHX Arena
2025-10-02 18:00 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
English rock band Bring Me the Horizon have made a steady progression from their death metal-inspired grindcore debut to melodic metalcore, maturing into a pop-savvy headline act by the end of their first decade together. With each release — from 2006’s caustic Count Your Blessings to 2013’s mainstream breakthrough Sempiternal — they dialed back the blood-curdling screams and injected more melody until capturing an alt-metal balance on their 2015 international chart-topping effort That’s the Spirit. By 2019’s Amo, they had incorporated elements of electronic and even hip-hop into their edgy, genre-blurring blend. In 2020 Bring Me the Horizon issued Post Human: Survival Horror, the first installment of an ambitious conceptual series. The follow-up, Post Human: NeX Gen, landed in 2024.
The group was formed in 2004 from the ashes of several Sheffield-based outfits, with the 2003 Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean serving as the inspiration for the band’s name. Singer Oliver Sykes, guitarists Lee Malia and Curtis Ward, bassist Matt Kean, and drummer Matt Nicholls initially established their own label, Thirty Days of Night, to release their debut EP, 2005’s This Is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For. Upon signing to the higher-profile label Visible Noise (whose roster also included Bullet for My Valentine and Lostprophets), they reissued the EP to a wider audience. Bring Me the Horizon’s full-length debut, Count Your Blessings, appeared in October 2006, with an American release following one year later courtesy of Epitaph Records.
With their second album, Suicide Season, Bring Me the Horizon moved in a more accessible direction and wound up cracking the U.K. album charts. Not everyone approved of the new sound, though, and Ward left the band in early 2009. His temporary replacement was Jona Weinhofen, formerly a member of I Killed the Prom Queen. Weinhofen ended up staying with the band and the group returned to the studio with producer Fredrik Nordström in March 2010 to begin work on a third album. The resulting There Is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is a Heaven, Let’s Keep … was released during the latter half of 2010, several months after the band wrapped up their engagement with the Warped Tour.
A fourth album, the critically lauded Sempiternal, arrived on Epitaph in 2013, and peaked at number three on the U.K. albums chart. Around this time, Weinhofen parted ways with the band and was replaced by Jordan Fish for their next effort, which marked a stark departure from the sound they’d been honing since their debut. Released in 2015, the loosely conceptual That’s the Spirit saw the group dropping some of their metalcore tendencies in lieu of a more melodic, alt-metal approach, capturing mainstream ears with the singles “Happy Song,” “True Friends,” and “Avalanche.” Their highest-performing effort to date, the set topped charts across the globe, peaking in the Top Three in their native England and in the U.S. Riding the success of Spirit, the band staged an ambitious charity concert benefitting the Teenage Cancer Trust. Backed by the Parallax Orchestra and Simon Dobson, the group set their hits to orchestral backing on 2016’s Live at the Royal Albert Hall.
In the summer of 2018, Bring Me the Horizon continued down an increasingly experimental path with the mainstream-ready anthem “Mantra” and the surprisingly poppy “Medicine.” Both tracks landed on their sixth full-length effort, Amo, which was released in early 2019. Their first U.K. chart-topper, Amo incorporated electronic dance elements and trap production, featuring guest appearances by Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth), art-pop singer Grimes, and rapper Rahzel. As the band toured the globe, they joined a stacked roster of artists for the soundtrack to the video game Death Stranding, contributing the track “Ludens.” At the close of 2019, in addition to Amo receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album, the group issued a surprise project titled Music to Listen To…. The experimental foray dabbled in electronic atmospherics, ambient noise, and trip-hop, reimagining tracks from Amo in the process. Guests on the release include Halsey and Theresa Jarvis of Yonaka.
In early 2020, the band quarantined in their home studios during the COVID-19 pandemic to record their next effort, which was heavily influenced by global events. During the summer, they issued “Parasite Eve” and the industrial-tinged “Obey,” a collaboration with English upstart Yungblud. These tracks landed on 2021’s Post Human: Survival Horror, the first installment of a proposed multi-part EP series. In addition to the previously released singles, the set also included appearances by Babymetal (“Kingslayer”), Nova Twins (“1×1”), and Amy Lee of Evanescence (“One Day…”). The first taste of the follow-up, the more melodic and anthemic “DiE4u,” arrived that September. A string of high-profile collaborations marked the band’s 2022 output and included featured appearances with Ed Sheeran (“Bad Habits”), Machine Gun Kelly (“Maybe”), and Sigrid (“Bad Life”).
Continuing the lead-up to their proposed Survival Horror sequel, which was titled Post Human: NeX Gen, the band spent 2023 touring and releasing more singles, including “Lost,” “Darkside,” and “Amen!” with Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw) and Lil Uzi Vert. At the end of the year, longtime keyboardist Fish left the band. Weeks later, the four-piece released “Kool-Aid,” the sixth offering from NeX Gen. After a brief delay, that sprawling effort finally arrived in May 2024, featuring additional guests Aurora and Underoath. The album tackled dark emotional themes and featured genre-blurring hyperpop flourish, pop-punk energy, glitchy electronic chaos, hardcore aggression, death growls, and pop choruses.

An industrial city situated in Northeastern Pennsylvania, you could say Scranton quietly prides itself on a tried-and-true Rust Belt blue-collar work ethic.
For their fourth full-length album and first for Roadrunner Records Graveyard Shift, Motionless In White—Chris Motionless [Vocals], Ricky Horror [Guitar], Ryan Sitkowski [Guitar], Ghost [Bass], and Vinny Mauro [Drums]—dug into the roots of their hometown’s pervasive attitude.
“We’re a band that came out of the small town blue-collar spirit,” affirms Chris. “We put ten years into growing this and working hard to do what we love the most. We look forward to putting in another ten. Both the area we come from and the fan base brought us to this point. Graveyard Shift is all about that work ethic. It’s been instilled in us. Early on, we realized if you give the time and effort to chase a dream, it’s possible to achieve it by the sheer amount of drive and passion you have.”
Since 2006, that ethos has fueled Motionless In White’s rise to the upper echelon of modern rock. Albums such as 2010’s Creatures and Infamous in 2012 would galvanize a rabid fan base around the quintet. During 2014, Reincarnate reached new heights, bowing at #9 on the Billboard Top 200 and claiming #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart. The title track and lead single turned into a Top 20 Active Rock smash and notched 13.2 million YouTube views and 9.8 million Spotify streams. Simultaneously, they have shared stages alongside everyone from Slipknot, Korn, and Breaking Benjamin to A Day To Remember and Marilyn Manson in addition to making arresting festival appearances at Warped Tour, Aftershock, Rock On The Range, Rock Allegiance, and beyond.
In 2016, they entered a Los Angeles studio with producer and longtime collaborator Drew Fulk [Emmure, Crown The Empire] to record what would become Graveyard Shift.
“It was all about writing bigger, better, and more refined songs,” exclaims the frontman. “On Reincarnate, we felt like we had discovered our true identity. This record wasn’t so much centered on experimentation as it was on refinement. In the past, I feel like I always placed the vocals second to music. This time, there was a focus on trying to make sure the vocals had their big moments. That was a major key in really making Graveyard Shift separate from all of the other albums. I haven’t really been able to look back at anything I would’ve done differently or something I didn’t feel like I put my whole heart into here. I just feel incredibly confident about everything on the record.”
Motionless In White introduced this latest body of work with the galloping gut punch of “570”—the area code of Scranton and something of an homage to home. In less than three months, it amassed 3.1 million Spotify streams and amplified anticipation for the full-length’s impending arrival.
“Last summer, I had the opportunity to meet with a lot of fans on Warped Tour and have some very intense, personal, and deep discussions,” recalls Chris. “I walked away from these meetings feeling energized. Whether the conversations were dark or uplifting, I was ready to approach anything in my way with how I felt afterwards. Our current single, ‘LOUD,’ is a direct result of that energy. I wanted to encourage people to feel the same way. It’s definitely one of the more powerful and inspirational messages on the album.”
Throughout its 12 tracks, Graveyard Shift weaves together various personal vignettes. From embracing one’s dark side on “Necessary Evil” [feat. Jonathan Davis] to the hypnotic and humorous ode to Danny Elfman’s influential body of work, “Not My Type (Dead As Fuck 2),” the record remains unpredictable at every turn. “Eternally Yours” signals a first for the group.
“It’s our first true love song,” Chris goes on. “There was a very poetic and romantic approach. That’s something, as a lyricist, I have been trying to explore more of within myself over the past few albums. It’s a special song for all of us.”

Scranton plays a subtle role in the overarching narrative itself. Chris can recall finding early inspiration in the city’s once fertile music scene, which slowly dissipated over the years. At the same time, he and his bandmates have transported that energy worldwide with Graveyard Shift.
“I like to think we’re taking our favorite traits of this area on the road and showing the rest of the world what Scranton created out of all that great camaraderie, those friendships, and the memories,” he says. “We all come from the same spot. It’s something I think many people all over the world can identify with. We’re not content to just sit still and let life happen. We want to show you can take the initiative, go out there, and make a difference for yourself. That rings throughout all of the songs and speaks to the true meaning of Graveyard Shift.”
Ultimately, Motionless In White have the power to electrify a new love for rock music in the process.
“We’re quite a simple band in terms of our intent,” he leaves off. “Turn off your head, detach from reality, listen to the music, and enjoy the songs. That’s what we’re encouraging. We want to give people something to latch on to away from life’s bullshit. I hope they walk away feeling their love for music was either restored or upheld.”

Through balancing even the most extreme dynamics, The Plot In You consistently overturn and upend expectations. On any given track, it might seem like they’re about to go one way, but the band will turn on a dime and shift course before the crowd can even catch a breath. This uncanny element of surprise has entrenched the gold-selling Ohio quartet—Landon Tewers [vocals], Josh Childress [guitar], Ethan Yoder [bass], and Michael Cooper [drums]—on the cutting edge of heavy music. Whether it be threads of alternative, electronic, pop, or R&B, nothing is off limits, and everything is fair game for their creative process. That process has continued to morph. Following a series of fan favorite releases, the band made major waves with DISPOSE [2018]. “FEEL NOTHING” surged on social media as a viral phenomenon, generating hundreds of millions of streams and picking up a gold certification from the RIAA. The musicians only maintained this momentum with Swan Song in 2021. Hysteria rated it “9-out-of-10.” Simultaneously, they sold out shows coast-to-coast. During 2023, the band kickstarted another era with Vol. 1. “Divide” generated 9 million Spotify streams right out of the gate followed by “Left Behind,” exploding to the tune of 15.9 million Spotify streams. Upon the arrival of “Forgotten,” Revolver praised it among the “6 Best New Songs Right Now.”

Los Angeles-based singer Amira Elfeky combines nu-metal influences, a brooding goth flair, and emotional songwriting into a hard-hitting but accessible rock sound. The Connecticut native moved to California where she started working on songs inspired by 1990s alternative rockers like Nirvana and early-2000s nu-metallers like Deftones and Linkin Park. She released her first songs in 2023, including “Tonight (demo)” and “Coming Down,” which quickly caused a stir and resulted in her getting signed by Anemoia Records, an imprint of Atlantic. In early 2024, Elfeky released her first EP, Skin to Skin.
Elfeky was born in Connecticut, started playing the violin at an early age, and was interested in every music class her school offered. At 15, she moved to the Bay Area and discovered grunge and nu-metal. Through a “drummer wanted” ad, she met Brandon Iljas, and the pair started working on songs in his San Francisco bedroom studio, but she wasn’t quite satisfied with the results. In Los Angeles, Elfeky had the opportunity to work and record in the home of Ian Hunter, founder of the Anemoia label, and she refined her blend of blurry Deftones-style alternative metal and the dramatic goth rock of Evanescence. After “Tonight (demo)” was released in mid-2023 and featured on a new songs playlist, she signed with the label and followed up with songs like “Coming Down” and “Everything I Do Is for You.” In February 2024, she released a cover of System of a Down‘s “Lonely Day.” Elfeky’s first EP, Skin to Skin, was released in March 2024 and featured the new single “A Dozen Roses.”
