Behemoth at The Fillmore Silver Spring on 11/2/18

Avatar in Baltimore, MD on 1/13/18

Avatar, one of Sweden’s finest exports, made its stop in Maryland at the Baltimore Soundstage on its first tour as a headliner this past weekend. Some of the band’s most hardcore fans lined up for hours in the freezing weather before doors opened to get the best spot in the intimate venue. The venue was transformed into a carnival, complete with a decked-out merch booth decorated as a carnival tent and fans had the opportunity to enjoy a spin-to-win wheel.

Carnival themed string lights lead up to the stage which was prepped and ready for the night’s first opener: Hellzapoppin. The sideshow act kicked the night off in a way you will not see at any other concert. The set consisted of walking on glass, sword swallowing, incredible magic tricks and other mind-blowing spectacles. The Brains took the stage next and delivered bass slapping driven rock songs, leaving the crowd primed and ready for Avatar to take the stage.

Avatar kicked off its set with Jonas Jarlsby, guitarist and King of Avatar Country, which is the band’s fictitious country of origin, waving from his throne as the crowd cheered with excitement. He continued to play his guitar from his throne for two songs until joining the rest of the band in hair-whipping metal. The band’s set consisted of fan favorites and some of the tracks off their new album Avatar Country, which is now available. Overall, Avatar has put together an incredibly unique live experience with incorporating a nonmusical opener, which adds depth to the fantasy kingdom. If you have a chance to catch this tour, do so. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to see the phenomenally immersive experience which will leave fans amazed. 

HIM at Fillmore Silver Spring on 11/9/17

“Love Metal” band H.I.M.’s farewell tour made one of its final U.S. stops in the DMV to celebrate their long and successful career. The Bang & Whimper 2017-The Farewell Tour is giving fans one last chance to see a live performance that has been crafted with the experience H.I.M. has gathered from a long career full of playing everything from small club shows to large festivals and it does not disappoint. Their incredibly dedicated fans started lining up to get their spot in the sold-out venue at noon and some even traveled all the way from South America. 3 Teeth took the stage first and if you haven’t heard of them before they bring an industrial style of music that was made popular by acts like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. They have an incredible stage presence and put on a high energy show that left many fans surprised because of the live style of the headliner which is naturally softer but delivered in a way that compliments the music. CKY came on next and has long been associated with H.I.M. because of skateboarder Bam Margera who became a huge advocate of the both H.I.M. and CKY. Margera’s brother Jesse is also the drummer for CKY. CKY played some of their more popular songs but also performed material from their latest album The Phoenix which was released in June 2017. H.I.M. closed the night and performed their last show in the area much to fans dismay. Ville Valo, H.I.M.’s front man, walked out to cheering fans and Finnish flags flying as the their instantly recognizable heartagram symbol glowed behind him on drummer, Jukka "Kosmo" Kröger’s kick drum. With this being a farewell tour and the band having many years of success, they had no shortage of material and played the fan favorites. Overall the show was a fantastic display of the hard work and success that H.I.M. has seen over the past 22 years.

Trivium & Arch Enemy at Baltimore Soundstage on 10/31/17

Trivium and Arch Enemy came to Baltimore Soundstage on Halloween and delivered a powerful show that did not disappoint. The impressive lineup started with Fit for an Autopsy taking the stage – dressed for the holiday – with lead singer Joe Badolato dressed as Batman. They kicked it off setting the foundation for what turned out to be an unbelievably high energy show filled with phenomenal guitarists and metal vocals that hit the Halloween mood on the head.

While She Sleeps from Sheffield, England took the stage second and skyrocketed the tempo of the show to a whole other level. Between bassist Aaran McKenzie and vocalist Lawrence Taylor’s frequent visits to the crowd, the band was using the stage and swinging speakers to give the fans everything they could want from a live performance.

While She Sleeps put on a show like no other and set the bar for Arch Enemy to do what they do best. Arch Enemy brought some of their best past work, as well as their material from the new album, Will to Power, which shows a new side of Arch Enemy and brings melodic clean vocals for the first time in the band’s discography. Arch Enemy proved that they can still develop further as musicians even though they are incredibly talented and are producing some of their best content yet. The set provided material that longtime fans love, and they are still able to reach a wider audience as they develop their sound further.

Trivium wrapped the night to a packed venue as costumed crowd surfers battered the barricade and ecstatic fans belted out the lyrics to their favorite tracks. If you can catch this tour, it is definitely one you do not want to miss!

Tour Dates:

Nov. 4 —  Worcester, Mass. @ The Palladium

Nov. 5 — Montreal, Quebec @ Metropolis

Nov. 7 — Toronto, Ontario @ The Danforth Music Hall

Nov. 8 — Detroit, Mich. @ Royal Oak Music Theatre

Nov. 10 — Sioux City, Iowa @ Anthem At Hard Rock

Nov. 11 — Kansas City, Mo. @ The Truman

Nov. 12 — Chicago, Ill. @ Concord Music Hall

Nov. 14 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Skyway Theater

Nov. 15 — Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave

Nov. 17 — Denver, Colo. @Summit Music Hall

Nov. 18 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Complex

Nov. 20 — Calgary, Alberta @ The Palace Theatre

Nov. 21 — Edmonton, Alberta @ Union Hall

Nov. 23 — Vancouver, British Columbia @ Vogue Theater

Nov. 24 — Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox Sodo

Nov. 25 — Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theater

Nov. 27 — Sacramento, Calif. @ Ace of Spades

Nov. 28 — San Francisco, Calif. @ The Regency Ballroom

Nov. 29 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern

Dec. 1 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ Marquee Theater

Dec. 2 — Albuquerque, N.M. @ Sunshine Theater

Dec. 4 — Dallas, Texas @ Gas Monkey Live

Dec. 5 — San Antonio, Texas @ Alamo City Music Hall

Dec. 6 — Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live

In This Moment at The National on 10/10/17

In This Moment performed at Richmond’s The National earlier this week. The metal band put on a show that displayed outstanding visuals, which were accomplished by the strategically placed fog and magnificent lighting. The effect created stunning silhouettes that really immerse the fans in the environment. The show featured a number of prop and costume changes, and proves that In This Moment has one of the most hardworking and professional crews in the music industry.

In This Moment is currently touring in support of their recent new album “Ritual,” which was released in July. The fall portion of the “Half God, Half Devil” tour featured Of Mice & Men and Avatar. In This Moment played some of their biggest hits such as Black Wedding, Roots and Adrenalize while finishing the show with an encore of the popular song “Whore,” which brought lead singer Maria Brink out to a podium wearing a dunce cap with the song’s title on full display while being immediately flanked by the band’s two masked dancers, called the blood girls, carrying their shame signs and wearing puritan attire adorned with the blood “W” on their chests. The show ended with the venue being covered by red and white balloons that were released during the encore and fans excitedly punched them into the air as the show came to a close. Fans cheered as Maria came to the front of the stage to pass out roses to fans and one lucky fan got the signed dunce cap that she wore in the encore.

You can catch the last leg of the “Half God, Half Devil” tour throughout 2017:

Friday, Oct. 13

Orpheum Theater; New Orleans
 

Saturday, Oct. 14

Vibes Event Center; San Antonio
 

Sunday, Oct. 15

Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie; Grand Prairie, Texas
 

Wednesday, Oct. 18

The Wiltern; Los Angeles
 

Friday, Oct. 20

Fear Farm; Phoenix
 

Saturday, Oct. 21

Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas; Las Vegas
 

Saturday, Oct. 21 and Sunday, Oct. 22

Discovery Park; Sacramento, Calif.
 

Tuesday, Oct. 24

The Novo by Microsoft; Los Angeles
 

Wednesday, Oct. 25

Riverside Municipal Auditorium; Riverside, Calif.
 

Friday, Oct. 27

Revolution Concert House; Boise, Idaho
 

Saturday, Oct. 28 

Knitting Factory Concert House; Spokane, Wash.   
 

Sunday, Oct. 29 

Roseland Theater; Portland, Ore.
 

Tuesday, Oct. 31

The Moore Theatre; Seattle
 

Wednesday, Nov. 1

Toyota Arena; Kennewick, Wash.
 

Thursday, Nov. 2 

Commodore Ballroom; Vancouver
 

Saturday, Nov. 4

MacEwan Hall, University of Calgary; Calgary
 

Sunday, Nov. 5

Shaw Conference Centre; Edmonton
 

Tuesday, Nov. 7 

Burton Cummings Theatre; Winnipeg
 

Wednesday, Nov. 8 

The District; Sioux Falls, S.D.
 

Friday, Nov. 10 

The Rave/Eagles Club; Milwaukee, Wis.   
 

Saturday, Nov. 11

Brown County Arena; Green Bay, Wis.  
 

Sunday, Nov. 12

Myth; St. Paul, Minn.