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CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHYTestament, Kreator bring Klash of the Titans Tour to Denver, Colorado’s Fillmore AuditoriumSEE IT ALL HERE

10/25/2024

POSSESSED

Testament, Kreator bring Klash of the Titans Tour to Denver, Colorado’s Fillmore Auditorium 10-22-2024

As I walked up to the box office window to get my credentials to cover this show last night, I knew one thing for sure, this would be a night of metal. Heavy, Death, and Thrash metal. The lights dropped and a roar from the crowd followed as the members of Possessed made their onto the stage followed by vocalist Jeff Becerra. Jeff was in a wheelchair from an unfortunate incident many years ago where he was shot twice during a holdup and is paralyzed from the chest down. But this didn’t stop him from living life and doing what he loves.

Possessed are often considered pioneers of the death metal genre. They started their set going back in time with “Pentagram” from their 1985 album, Seven Churches and let the headbanging and moshing begin. Possessed set the tone for this night of metal and no one was disappointed about it. Add to the great music was excellent lighting with a mixture of colors and light fog. With songs like 1986's “Tribulation” and finishing their short but powerful set was 1987’s “Swing of the Axe”. Possessed said good night to a roaring cheering crowd showing their appreciation for a great start to this night of metal.

Possessed members:
Jeff Becerra – vocals (1983–1987, 2007–present), bass (1983–1987)
Daniel Gonzalez – guitars (2011–present)
Robert Cardenas – bass (2012–present)
Claudeous Creamer – guitars (2016–present)
Chris Aguirre – drums (2023–present)

Setlist:
Pentagram
Ritual
Tribulation 1986
Graven 2019
The Exorcist 1985
Demon 2019
Death Metal 1985
Swing of the Axe 1987

KREATOR

A large curtain with Kreator on it was raised in front of the stage while the stage was being readied for the band. With a strong crowd of metal lovers, a tape started of Iron maiden’s “Run to the Hills” and a roar came up from the crowd followed most of the venue singing along with the song. Standing in the pit, I couldn’t help lip syncing and some light head banging to this great song. The curtain dropped and the thrash metallers opened their set with, “Hate Über Alles” from their 2022 album of the same name and the crowd let out a deathening cheer with arms raised and head banging.

The stage was lit in red and the fog rolled from everywhere and through the fog you could see two giant demons staring out from both sides of the drummer. As the band started their second song, lead vocalist Miland "Mille" Petrozza urged the crowd to open a circle pit. The crowd made a large opening and it was quickly filled as more fans joined in. The crowd this night were definitely fans of metal by the way they moved, sang with the songs with arms up and head banging. Throughout their set Kreator delighted their fans moving back and forth in time with songs, 1997’s “Phobia”, 2005’s “Enemy of God”, 2017’s “Hail to the Hordes”, and 1989’s “Betrayer”.

The onslaught continued through their 16 song set which was topped off with 2001”s “Violent Revolution” and 1986”s “Pleasure to Kill”. A powerful cheer roared from the crowd as Kreator said goodnight. The energy that poured out from the stage with the first two bands was amazing but there was one more band to go.

Kreator members:
Miland "Mille" Petrozza – lead vocals, rhythm guitar[95] (1982–present), lead guitar (1982–present)
Jürgen "Ventor" Reil – drums (1982–1994, 1996–present), co-lead vocals (1982–1989)
Sami Yli-Sirniö – lead guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)
Frédéric Leclercq – bass, backing vocals (2019–present)

Setlist:
Run to the Hills @Tape @Cover
Sergio Corbucci Is Dead @Tape
Hate Über Alles
Phobia
Enemy of God @Info[With 'Coma of Souls' intro]
666 - World Divided
Hordes of Chaos (A Necrologue for the Elite)
Hail to the Hordes
Betrayer
Satan Is Real
Mars Mantra @Tape
Phantom Antichrist
Strongest of the Strong
Terrible Certainty
The Patriarch @Tape
Violent Revolution
Pleasure to Kill

TESTAMENT

With roughly a 30 minute break, a tape of the song “Fight for Your Right” started and the crowd began to sing along. The curtain dropped for Testament to the now rejuvenated crowd who welcomed the band with a roar I thought was unreal to hear. The opened their set with 1988’s “Eerie Inhabitants” and with little encouragement from the band, the circle pit was going strong. Testament's setlist was composed of old school hard hitting fast and pulsating album’s, 1987’s The Legacy and 1988s The New Order and the crowd was loving it. Testament poured out every ounce of energy like they had been doing for over 30 years and the older crowd gave it right back. While pouring out his powerful vocals, Chuck Billy kept urging the crowd to keep the circle pit going.

Throughout their set, the red and colored lights danced through the heavy fog and at times lead guitarist Alex Skolnick would step up and wow the crowd with his powerful solos that mesmerized the crowd. The fast paced heavy sound from the band carried throughout the venue with great classic songs like, “The New Order” (1988), “Apocalyptic City” (1987), “First Strike Is Deadly” (1987), “A Day of Reckoning” (1988), and “The New Order” (1987). This night of amazing and powerful metal came to a close when Testament finished their set with 1988”s “Into the Pit”. Whoever decided to put these 3 bands together for a tour deserves an award if there is one. I think everyone who witnessed this tour slept well that night, I sure did!
Testament members:
Eric Peterson – rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–present)
Chuck Billy – lead vocals (1986–present)
Alex Skolnick – lead guitar, backing vocals (1985–1992, 2005–present)
Steve Di Giorgio – bass (1998–2005, 2014–present), backing vocals (2014–present)
Chris Dovas – drums (2022, 2023–present)

Setlist:
Fight for Your Right @Tape @Cover
Eerie Inhabitants
The New Order
Apocalyptic City
Raging Waters
The Preacher
The Haunting
Trial by Fire
First Strike Is Deadly
A Day of Reckoning
Do or Die
Disciples of the Watch
Over the Wall
Into the Pit

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CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY: Skillet and Seether with special guests, Tim Montana and Royale Lynn Take over the Mission Ballroom in Denver, CO - SEE IT ALL HERE

10/24/2024

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ROYALE LYNN

The Mission Ballroom was filling up quickly as I made my way to the photo pit saying hi to everyone working this evening. About a year ago I discovered the opener for this night's show, Royale Lynn, and was excited to finally see her live. She is a rising country-rock singer and by the reaction from the crowd when she took the stage, it was obvious she has made many fans in the last year.

Her energy was soaked up by her fans as she started her with the song, “Sacrifice” and she would move about the stage interacting with the crowd. A short set yes but, she saved the best for last, the song that grabbed my attention and her fans. “Six feet Deep” had the crowd singing with her as she moved about. With a heartfelt thank you to her fans, Royale said good night to a cheering crowd.

Setlist:
Sacrifice
Evil
Black Magic
All Around Me @Cover
Heavy is the Crown
Death Wish
Six Feet Deep

TIM MONTANA

Tim Montana was next and making his way to the front of the stage he broke into, “Get You Some” followed by, “Ain't Coming Down” to get things started a little on the harder side and the crowd responded cheering and headbanging. His blend of southern, country rock had his fans moving to the high energy raw edged sounds coming from the stage.

The energy level stayed high as Tim moved through his set and capped off his 7 song setlist with, “Devil You Know” and the crowd let out a roar of thanks as Tim said good night.

Tim Montana: Singer-songwriter
Kyle Rife: Guitarist
Brian Wolff: Drummer
Bryce Paul: Bassist

Set List:
Get You Some
Ain't Coming Down
Die Today
Shut Me Out
Savage
Ashes
Devil You Know

SEETHER

Originally from South Africa Seether has called the United States home since 2002. The band members made their way onto the stage to a cheering crowd and started their set with “Gasoline” from their 2000 album, Fragile, the post-grunge, hard rockers had their fans moving, continuing to keep the energy level high. The atmosphere was set in heavy red lighting and fog as Seether poured out their dark, brooding sound.

A stool was brought on stage and Shaun Morgan sat down and playing the first few notes had the crowd cheering then quietly swaying about to the song, “Broken”. An acoustic song filled with emotion that resonates with almost anyone who has lost a loved one. Seether moved back and forth through time with songs, 2014’s, “Nobody Praying for Me”, 2007’2 “Fake It”. Finishing their set with “Remedy”, Tim Montana joined in for the final song.

Seether members:
Shaun Morgan – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano (1999–present); lead guitar (1999–2002, 2006–2008, 2011–2018)
Dale Stewart – bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar (2000–present)
John Humphrey – drums, percussion (2003–present)
Corey Lowery – lead guitar, backing vocals (2019–present; touring 2018–2019)

Setlist:
Gasoline
Fine Again
Broken
Country Song
Wasteland
Rise Above This
Nobody Praying for Me 2014
Dangerous
Judas Mind
Fake It 2007
Remedy @With Tim Montana 2005

SKILLET

The stage was now set for Skillet and I had no doubt in my mind the energy level was going to go through the roof, and all that took was the first few notes from their first song, “Feel Invincible”. John Cooper has a powerful presence on stage with his vocals and pounding on his base. But, John’s wife, Korey Cooper was off the charts! She was all over the place pounding her rhythm guitar, kicking, hair throwing, jumping, spinning. She was something to see, let alone photograph. (see photo gallery)

Not to slow things down, they followed their opening song with “Rise” and their fans were moving, jumping, and singing along with the band. The next song saw 2 crew members bring out and hook John up with CO2 guns on each arm. And the onslaught with energy continued. (see photo gallery) Skillet continued with songs, “Whispers in the Dark” from 2006 and “Hero” from 2009. Skillet is known as a Christian band and John would talk about his faith in god and then started the song, “Be Thou My Vision”. The crowd was quiet till the song was done, then let out a cheer.

With the lights dancing and fog moving across the stage, Skillet finished their set with, “The Resistance” from 2016.
The roar of thanks from the crowd was deafening and well deserved for Skillet’s amazing performance!

Skillet members:
John Cooper – lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar (1996–present); keyboards (1996–1999)
Korey Cooper – keyboards, synthesizers, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1999–present)
Jen Ledger – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals (2008–present)
Seth Morrison – lead guitar (2011–present); live backing vocals (2019–present)

Setlist:
Feel Invincible
Rise
Surviving the Game
Legendary
Unpopular
Awake and Alive
Hero
Whispers in the Dark
Psycho In My Head
Be Thou My Vision @Cover
Comatose
Monster
The Resistance

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CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY: Hatebreed's 30th Anniversary tour rolled through Chicago at The Concord Music Hall - CHECK IT OUT HERE

10/8/2024

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BY: RICK LANCASTER

Sunday October 6th Hatebreed's 30th Anniversary tour rolled through Chicago at The Concord Music Hall. The tour features Opening acts: Crypta, Harms Way and Carcass.

The ladies from Brazil in Crypta started the night off and set the mood. Their devastating vocals and crushing riffs got the crowd amped up.

Up next we had Chicago's own Harms Way. Their in your face no holds barred attitude seen the mosh pit explode with energy. Now unfortunately I didn't photo either of them.

Then we had England's own Carcass come out and playing songs such as "Buried Dreams", "Kellys Meat Emporium" and "Exhume To Consume". Their last song was the title track from their 1994 masterpiece "Heartwork".

Finally the moment we've been waiting for Connecticut's own Hatebreed takes the stage. They came out strong opening with "Tear It Down" into "Live For This". They played songs spanning their entire career including "Smash Your Enemies" from their 1994 7" vinyl "Under The Knife". The energy didn't slow with songs such as "Destroy Everything", "Perseverance", "Everyone Bleeds Now" and they even played a cover of Slayer's "Ghosts Of War". Their last song was the crown sing-a-long "I Will Be Heard".

This tour just started out and goes through October 27th. It criss-crosses all over the US and I highly recommend you not sleeping on this and go catch a show if it comes near you!

CARCASS

HATEBREED

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CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY: Badflower brings their No Place Like Home Tour to Denver, Colorado’s Fillmore Auditorium - SEE IT ALL HERE

10/7/2024

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MISSIO

I always enjoy covering shows at the Fillmore Auditorium, it’s a really nice venue with a solid sound system, and a roomy pit to shoot from. I was asked to cover the opening band, Missio by their pr people. This is always a treat for me when I am asked to cover a show. I was not familiar with Missio and I checked out their music before the show and really liked what I heard.

Missio kicked the night off by starting their set with, “The Higher You Climb” from their 2024 newly released album, I Am Cinco and they captured the crowd's attention right away with their energy which only grew throughout their set. Their music has been described as Alternative/Indie, Rock but also, I would add electronic and Industrial in the mix of their music. This is what I found so interesting as they moved through their set. The crowd was really into them as many would be dancing and moving about. Matthew and David moved about the stage keeping the energy alive with the crowd. 5 out of the 8 songs they played were from their new album and they topped off the set with “Good Vibrations” from the album. The crowd reacted to their set with loud enthusiastic cheering and I thought it was a great start to the evening.

Missio are: Matthew Brue – vocalist/songwriter/producer (2015–present)
David Butler – songwriter/producer (2016–present)

Setlist:
The Higher You Climb new album I Am Cinco
Twisted
Fuck It
Aztec Death Whistle
Everybody Gets High
Fall Into A Black Hole
Sing To Me
Good Vibrations

SLOTHRUST

The way the Fillmore had the stage set up for the 3 bands, made it easy for them to prepare for each band. Slothrust was another band I was not familiar with and checking them out I found sound having some grunge mixed into their alternative/indie sound. Opening their set with “Like a Child Hiding Behind Your Tombstone” from their 2016 album, Everyone Else. Leah Wellbaum vocals sounded meditative, thoughtful and her guitar work was something to hear and watching her play could be mesmerizing. Throughout their set you see the crowd swaying back and forth like they were getting lost in the music and her vocals. Leah would sing and at times step to the side so you clearly see her work her magic on the guitar. But, touring bassist Annie Hoffman was on the move jumping,
spinning around in contrast to Leah being a little more reserved. It was fun though watching Annie. Slothrust finished their set with "Crackpot” which the audience really enjoyed. A different contrast in the 2 opening bands but I really enjoyed them both.

Slothrust members:
Leah Wellbaum – lead vocals; guitar
Will Gorin – drums
Annie Hoffman – bass (touring, 2022–present)

Setlist:
Intro @Info[From their 2012 album "Feels Your Pain"]
Like a Child Hiding Behind Your Tombstone
The Next Curse
Double Down
Baby One More Time @Cover
Cranium
Planetarium
Once More for the Ocean
Pony @Cover
Crockpot

BADFLOWER

The energy was about to reach a fever pitch as Badflower took the stage and opened their set with “Teacher Has a Gun”, their new single which was released this past June that had their fans screaming, cheering, and jumping. The stage was filled with fog and the lights changed colors for each song to start. From green to yellow to purple and add the red flood lights from along the back of drummer Anthony Sonetti. Lead singer Josh Katz was pouring out his emotions throughout each song with raw intensity. Throughout their show, bassist Joey Morrow and guitarist Alex Espiritu along with Josh would move about the stage interacting with each other and their fans. It’s always fun to watch when band members interact with their fans and to see the reactions from both going back and forth.

In between songs Josh thanked the fans for their support and shared moments of reflections that were heartfelt. Badflower closed out their night with a 3 song encore featuring, “Detroit”, “30”, and “Girlfriend”.
This was a fun night for me because I was seeing these bands for the first time and it was a really good time. The only sad part was, it wasn’t a big crowd but, it was a very enthusiastic crowd.

BadFlower members:
Josh Katz - singer/guitarist
Joey Morrow - bass
Anthony Sonetti - Drums
Alex Espiritu - guitarist

Setlist:
Teacher Has a Gun
Don't Hate Me 2021
Johnny Wants to Fight
Fukboi
White Noise
Move Me
Snuff @Info[unreleased song]
Stalker
Promise Me
Adolescent Love
The Jester
Heroin
Ghost 2019
Machine Gun
Family

Detroit
30
Girlfriend