Update

Sorry I haven't posting that much recently. I have been busy with various schoolwork (studying, papers, etc) and playing Gears Of Wars. I plan on seeing a couple of films this weekend and reviewing them. As well as doing my monthly film preview and posting reviews for the new Warbringer and Skeletonwitch albums in the next week or so. Thank you for understanding the lack of frequency in my posting and for my reading my blog.

Chris Maitalnd

Album Review: Mastodon-The Hunter

Mastodon is my favorite band of all time. The first time I heard them in 2006, I was instantly captivated and they became my favorite band right away. Their entire discography is comprised of nothing but amazing music. The Hunter is no exception to the rule, Mastodon's streak of excellence is still in tact.

The Hunter is sure to divide Mastodon's fanbase. It's easily their strangest, most varied release to date. It sounds absolutely nothing like any of their other material. Some listeners might even go as far to question if it's even the same band that released records like Leviathan and Blood Mountain. Personally, I had no issue with the new sound. It shows yet again how dynamic and musically diverse Mastodon is as a band.

The Hunter shows a little bit of everything Mastodon has to offer. You have some classic-rock inspired jams ("Dry Bone Valley", "Stargasm"), some very heavy stuff ("Blasteroid", "Spectrelight") and even some really trippy, Pink Floyd-sounding material ("The Hunter", "All The Heavy Lifting"). The beauty of The Hunter though is how Mastodon is able to capture all the different styles with a clear vision and consistent quality. It takes a lot of skill to pull that off and Mastodon does it effortlessly. Even with all the styles played on this record, there is one thing that is constant, Mastodon's stunning level of musicianship. Guitarist Brent Hinds is a riff-writing machine. He pulls out headbang-worthy riffs on almost every song on the album. The vocals are approached in a different yet fascinating way on this record. Drummer Brann Dailor now contributes a solid amount of vocals to give Mastodon 3 vocalists. Dailor, Hinds, and Troy Sanders compliment each other incredibly well and give every song has a unique flavor.

The Hunter is excellent stuff. It's able to blend classic rock, prog rock, and balls-out metal to make a highly original sound. It's a much different direction for Mastodon, but that's part of the reason it's so good. Without a doubt, It's going to alienate some fans of the band and take time to sink in for some others.  It takes a special band to successfully reinvent themselves this many times. Mastodon continues to put out genre-bending masterpieces and (hopefully) won't change anytime soon.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Blasteroid
2.Spectrelight
3.Dry Bone Valley

Album Review: blink-182-Neighborhoods

Blink-182's reunion was one of the biggest pieces of news in music in the past few years. The anticipation for them to release new music once they reformed was incredibly high. Personally, I was a bit wary to see what it would it sound like. Almost three years after they reunited, their new record, Neighborhoods, has finally been released.Neighborhoods is a decent, but uneven record that is only somewhat worth the eight-year wait.

On the positive side, Neighborhoods is a big improvement over their last album. When this album is good, it's the best stuff Blink has made since Enema Of The State. The Bad Religion/NOFX-inspired "Heart's All Gone" is one of the best Blink songs ever. It's a genuine punk track that reminded me of Blink's older material with a bit more of an old-school punk edge. "Ghost On The Dance Floor" and "Wishing Well" have more of an alternative/indie feel to them. These tracks take Blink's sound in yet another different direction, but they work quite well. They are filled with genuine emotion, yet maintain a really catchy vibe. This is easily the most experimental album Blink-182 has ever made and this formula makes for an interesting listen... at least at times.

The major downside to Neighborhoods is the severe lack of consistency. About 1/3 of this album is good, 1/3 of this album is ok, and 1/3 of this album is complete and total shit. When this album is bad, it's really, really bad. I would go as far to say that the bad songs on this record are the worst things they have ever done. The absolute lowlight, "Love Is Dangerous", is vomit-inducing. It's even more emo than most of the stuff on their last record, which is saying something. The lame synth-line and cheesy lyrics are completely pathetic. Another problem is the lack of cohesion on this album. The listening experience gets kind of annoying since they can't really build up any momentum from song to song due to the scattered quality of the album. They can't decide on what they want this album to be. At times it's insanely and annoyingly emo, and at others, it's pretty emotional and powerful. I understand this album is supposed to be dark, but sometimes it crosses over from dark to just plain emo whining.  I also still can't get over how boring Travis Barker's drumming is with Blink-182. I thought with the new sound Blink is going for, it would give him an opportunity to utilize more complex drumming. He is such an amazing drummer, but his work with Blink is completely underwhelming.  The next album needs more interesting drumming, it's a crime wasting Barker's immense talent.

Despite being heavily flawed, Neighborhoods is a decent enough record. It takes Blink-182's sound in a different direction, which turns out to be both a good and bad thing. When it's good, it's the best stuff Blink has made in years. When it's bad, it's the worst material of their career. Neighborhoods could have been a lot better, but it also could have been far worse. Hopefully Blink can find a more clear vision and drop the emo sections completely for their next record. I am really eager to see where the band goes from here.

3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Heart's All Gone
2.Ghost On The Dancefloor
3.Wishing Well

    

Album Review: Machine Head-Unto The Locust

It's been four years since Machine Head released their amazing last effort The Blackening. The Blackening really brought them back into the forefront as a force in the metal scene. Of course, with all of the acclaim for The Blackening, the expectations for Unto The Locust were quite high. Thankfully, Unto The Locust lives up to hype and proves to be another success for Machine Head.

Unto The Locust keeps a lot of the elements of The Blackening in tact while adding some interesting experimentation to the mix. There are a lot more melodic elements thrown into the fold which works really well for Machine Head. Album opener "I Am Hell" should surprise a lot of Machine Head fans. It starts off with a slow, orchestra-esque intro then thunders into an expectational riff and breakneck speed for the rest of the song. It really is a staggering, epic track and one of the finest of Machine Head's long career. "Darkness Within", another one of the unique standouts, is a ballad that is slow and genuinely beautiful for most of the song then closes out with a heavy bang. The diversity and experimental sections of Unto The Locust keeps Machine Head's sound fresh.

On top of the diversity, Machine Head sounds as good as ever. Robb Flynn's screaming and clean vocals are still powerful and make an impression on the listener. The most impressive element of Unto The Locust though is Phill Demmel's guitarwork. Every single solo on this album blew my mind. He is able to blend melodic, gorgeous soloing with inhuman speed flawlessly. His solos are like a workout for your ears. Unto The Locust is also one of the best sounding albums of the year. Robb Flynn's production is clean sounding, immense, and just plain excellent all around.

Unto The Locust was completely worth the long wait. I really dug the enhanced melody that was used on this record. It really complemented the relentless fury of Machine Head's music very well. I didn't like this quite as much as The Blackening, but Unto The Locust is another great record from Machine Head.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)
2.Darkness Within
3.This Is The End

Album Review: Anthrax-Worship Music

Out of the Big 4, Anthrax has gone the longest without releasing new music. It's been 8 long years since We've Come For You All was released and it's just great to hear some new Anthrax after all these years. Worship Music is a welcome return from Anthrax and it turned out better than expected.

Worship Music marks the return of original vocalist Joey Belladonna. Worship Music is the first Anthrax record he has sung on since 1990's Persistence Of Time and his return is glorious. No disrespect to John Bush, but Belladonna is easily the best vocalist Anthrax has ever had. Just hearing his vocals on new Anthrax is awesome.

Worship Music might catch some Anthrax fans by surprise. This is more of a straight-up heavy metal release  then thrash. Personally, I liked the approach Anthrax took on this record. There is a lot of catchy, memorable hooks on this record that Anthrax doesn't normally do. "I'm Alive" and "The Giant", in particular, were stuck in my head for hours. No need to fret though, there is still plenty of heavy material on this album. "Earth On Hell" comes out of the gate and grabs the listener by the throat with it's speed and ferocity. The two singles "Fight Em' Till You Can't" and "The Devil You Know" are also amongst the heavier and best stuff on the album.

Worship Music is definitely a really solid release. It takes Anthrax's music in a different direction without selling out or dumbing down. Joey Belladonna's return on vocals is triumphant and he still sounds amazing. Anthrax might have alienated some fans on Worship Music, but don't let some of the negative feedback fool you, Anthrax is a still a force when it comes to making great music.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Earth On Hell
2.Fight Em' Till You Can't
3.I'm Alive

Album Review: Textures-Dualism

The Netherlands's Textures has gotten a lot of hype over the years. I have never actually listened to them until this album. It's really a shame I didn't listen to them sooner. If Dualism is any indicator, Textures is a great band.

Textures reminds me a lot of Periphery and TesseracT. They mix groove with a lot of melodic undertones. What sets Textures apart from Periphery and TesseracT, is their incorporation of death metal elements in their music. The death metal parts aren't overly prominent, but they are used tastefully and effectively throughout the album. For the most part, this is just really, really good progressive metal. A big part of what make Textures special is the vocals. I can't say how Daniel de Jongh is compared to Textures's past vocalists, but this guy really impressed me. Jongh's vocals are stirring and completely chilling. His clean vocals and death metal-esque growls are equally impressive. The album's strongest tracks are driven by the mesmerising vocals. The instrumentation is almost as good as the vocals. They are able to create alot of atmospheric stuff that is really cool and intricate. I was kind of surprised how haunting the instruments were on this record, I really didn't expect that at all.

Dualism is a great fucking record. If you are a fan of Periphery or TesseracT or even Meshuggah (first time in a long time I have said a band sounded like Meshuggah), check out Textures ASAP. The blend of prog and bursts of groove and death metal provides a very eclectic sound that hooked me instantly. Their vocals and instruments deliver a haunting vibe that sticks with you after every listen. I am really glad I finally checked this band out, they are a great band and I need to check out their earlier material. Dualism is amongst the top tier of 2011 albums so far and during this excellent year for the metal, that is quite the accomplishment.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Reaching Home
2.Singularity
3.Arms Of The Sea  

Movie Review: Arthur (Film Number 19 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

I haven't seen the Dudley Moore original, so I can't comment on how the remake compares to the original. What can I say that is Russell Brand makes Arthur worth seeing completely by himself. Without Brand, Arthur's straightforward storyline would have made this a very standard, average film. Brand completely owns the role of Arthur. His charm and charisma is what makes this film work. It's not that rest of the cast is bad, it's just that Brand is so great he just puts everyone else to shame. Russell Brand really bolsters Arthur and makes it a solid piece of light and fluffy entertainment. If you're a fan of Brand, watch this film. If not, stay far away because Brand is the only reason this film works.

3.5/5 Stars 

Mastodon Fall Tour

I don't tend to announce tour information on my blog, but I figured I would make an exception for my favorite band. Mastodon first headlining tour for their new album The Hunter starts on November 1st in LA and closes on December 2 in a mystery location. Support on this trek will be provided from The Dillinger Escape Plan and Red Fang. Personally, I am beyond excited for this tour. I was really bummed when The Dillinger Escape Plan backed out of the Between The Buried and Me show in Boston, but this makes up for  it 1000 times over. November 21st can not come soon enough.

Mastodon
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Red Fang
Dates:
Nov 1 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theatre
Nov 2 Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
Nov 3 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
Nov 5 Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
Nov 6 Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
Nov 7 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
Nov 8 Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
Nov 9 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Nov 11 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
Nov 12 Milwaukee, WI - Rave Ballroom
Nov 13 Sauget, IL - Pop's
Nov 14 Kansas City, MO - The Beaumont
Nov 16 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
Nov 17 Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room
Nov 19 New York City, NY - Terminal 5
Nov 20 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
Nov 21 Boston, MA - House of Blues
Nov 23 Montreal, QC - Metropolis
Nov 25 Toronto, ONT - Kool Haus
Nov 26 Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
Nov 27 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Nov 28 Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
Nov 29 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
Dec 1 Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
Dec 2 The Missing Link

Album Review: Jay-Z & Kanye West-Watch The Throne

I found myself confused why I was listening to Watch The Throne. I've never been a fan of Kanye West and Jay-Z hasn't put out anything worthwhile since The Black Album. I am kind of glad I did listen to Watch Throne as it greatly surpassed my expectations, but it isn't really anything worthwhile either.

Watch The Throne does have quite a few things going for it. When it's good, it's pretty damn good. Album opener "No Church In The Wild" caught my attention from the start (unfortunately, no song on here is even close to as good as this.) Jay-Z and Kanye trade off solid verses with a catchy chorus from OFWGKTA's resident R&B singer Frank Ocean. The biggest plus on this record though is Kanye West's production. He is able to provide the album with a stellar array of beats. There are quite a few memorable beats on here and he is definitely not afraid to go outside of the box unlike most mainstream rap. It was also good to hear Jay-Z not rapping like shit on this record. After his disastrous last effort The Blueprint 3, I was pretty sure Jay-Z rapping ability was DOA. Although nowhere near top form, Jay-Z definitely brings some of his flow and creativity back here. Even Kanye West, who is one of the most inconsistent rappers of all time, shows moments where he actually raps well.

The problem with Watch The Throne is the amount of filler. There are plenty of tracks on here where you can tell Jay-Z and Kanye West's huge ego's got in the way. The subject matter of their tracks is pretty much bragging about how rich and how good they are at rapping. Sure they have plenty of money, but their lyrics aren't nearly clever enough to warrant such self-praise. The best rappers around don't tend to brag every chance they get and that's most of what Watch The Throne is. The perfect examples of this are on the awful "Niggas In Paris" and "That My Bitch". These tracks are just complete shit and left me with a really bad taste in my mouth. Some of the good tracks even have annoying sections that drag them down. Album standout "No Church In The Wild" has an obnoxious auto-tune section in the middle and "Who Gon Stop Me" has a highly grating sample in it. Stupid sections like these are far too frequent throughout the album and definitely play a part in dragging the quality down.

Watch The Throne is a lot better than anticipated, but it's a heavily flawed record. There are moments that are quite good, and there are moments that are abysmal. I will admit I really didn't even expect this album to be at this level, so kudos to Jay-Z and Kanye West for that. If this album had more consistency (lyrically and musically) and was made with a less cocky vibe, this could have been a damn fine record.  Watch The Throne has it's moments, but at the end of the day it's just a middling, wildly uneven album.

2.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.No Church In The Wild (ft. Frank Ocean)
2.Otis (ft. Otis Redding)
3.Gotta Have It 

Movie Review: Priest (Film Number 18 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

I knew a film from the same team that brought us last year's disastrous Legion wouldn't be a good film. Priest did manage to surpass my expectations, but it's still pretty bad. Priest is a case of being a ridiculous film that takes itself way too seriously. It's kind of hard to have a film about a vampire-killing priest with loads of cheesy dialogue with the tone of a stone-serious film. If this film had a sense of humor or even a less serious tone, it probably would have been watchable. Karl Urban is the only person involved with this film that get the memo of how stupid this film is. His performance as the villian, Black Hat, is gloriously over-the-top. Every time he is on screen, the film becomes kind of fun. The rest of the cast is completely lifeless. It's actually kind of sad watching Paul Bettany, who really is a great actor, drone through this role. The only saving grace of Priest is the action. The action sequences are highly-stylized and well-shot. It's really kind of a waste that quality action like this is wasted in a below average film. It's not a complete failure, but Priest falls short with it's overly serious tone and lack of excitement.

2/5 Stars 

Album Review: The Devil Wears Prada-Dead Throne

The Devil Wears Prada have been a guilty pleasure of mine since their inception. A lot of bands that play a similar style of metalcore I am not a fan of, but there has always been an edge to Devil Wears Prada that made them standout from the pack. Their last release, Zombie EP, was their strongest to date. The quality of Zombie EP heightened my anticipation for their next full-length record, Dead Throne.

Dead Throne is the most musically complex The Devil Wears Prada record to date. You can tell this is a band that wanted to mature and take their songwriting to the next level. There are less breakdowns and more of a focus on melody and aggression. Even the clean vocals, which I normally found to be the low point of The Devil Wears Prada, aren't bad here. They have improved so much since their early records where the clean vocals were completely grating and made me want to write off the band entirely. I was really surprised how heavy Dead Throne was for a Devil Wears Prada album. I didn't expect them to release a record heavier then Zombie, but they managed to do that pretty easily.

The problem is there is one big issue with Dead Throne, Mike Hranica. His vocals bring Dead Throne down an astronomical amount. It's kind of strange how the whole band has gotten better on this album, but Hranica's vocals have taken a severe dip in quality. The band creates all this momentum, only to be brought down by lackluster vocals. His main scream is a pretty annoying, high-pitched shriek that began to become obnoxious very early on. Everytime he screams, it just takes away from the music. The biggest mistake The Devil Wears Prada made on Dead Throne was having Tim Lambesis from As I Lay Dying do guest vocals on "Constance". The 20 seconds that Lambesis is on the record he just completely embarrasses Hranica vocally.

Dead Throne is the strongest effort musically from The Devil Wears Prada, but the vocals really take away from the record as a whole. Dead Throne would have been a much stronger record if one of the genre's best vocalists such as Tim Lambesis or Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage did the screaming, but instead it's just a decent effort. The Devil Wears Prada desprately needs a new vocalist. They will be stuck making decent records for the rest of their career if they continue on with Mike Hranica. Dead Throne shows a lot of growth for The Devil Wears Prada, but at the end of the day that growth is brought drown by Mike Hranica's vocals.

3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Holdfast
2.Constance (ft.Tim Lambesis Of As I Lay Dying)
3.Kansas  

Movie Review: Rio (Film Number 17 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

Rio was able to accomplish a pretty impressive feat: This is the best non-Pixar animated film since Shrek. I often find myself finding kids films to be too bland or unfunny to enjoy them, Rio was neither. There was definitely enough laughs and heart on display to make this engaging. The visuals are also impressive. The animation is very colorful and vibrant and fits in perfectly with the fun, happy atmosphere of the film. In addition, the voice-cast is top-notch. Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Clement, George Lopez, and the other cast members clearly had fun with their roles. It was cool to see such an ensemble cast that all did well in their roles (a rarity for animated films). Rio doesn't reinvent the wheel for animated films, but it provides enough laughs and heart for the whole family to enjoy.

3/5 Stars

Movie Review: Gnomeo and Juliet (Film Number 16 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

In case you were wondering, Gnomeo and Juliet is as stupid as it's title as sounds. Was there really any point to retell Romeo and Juliet with lawn gnomes? I will admit, I was actually pleasantly surprised at first. The first half-hour isn't too bad. There was a decent amount of laughs and the plot came together nicely. The last fifty minutes is where it all falls apart. It becomes a lazy, tired, and downright annoying film. The love story comes together so fast and sloppily that it's hard to follow. The Romeo and Juliet tie-ins become nauseating, especially the apperance of a William Shakespeare statue voiced by Patrick Stewart. The moment the statue appeared was the last straw for me enjoying this film. Despite a not-too-bad start and talented voice cast including Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Michael Caine, and Jason Statham, Gnomeo and Juliet is not worth a watch. The horrid second half of the film ruin all the postives of the first half and turn this film from watchable to pretty bad.

1.5/5 Stars

Movie Review: Our Idiot Brother (Film Number 15 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

Our Idiot Brother is owned by Paul Rudd. I don't think another actor could have played Ned with as much as charm and innocence. The audience really identifies and relates with Ned right off the bat. Ned is one of the most likable characters in any film released this year.  Rudd's performance along with the charm of this film get it through the rough mid-section of the film. This film might throw audiences for a loop because it's a not straight comedy like it was advertised to be. There is a fair share of drama worked in with the comedy. Don't get we wrong, there is a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in this film. The jokes come in bursts, but when they are present, they hit the target. Our Idiot Brother is a charming, funny film that is driven by an excellent performance by Paul Rudd.

3.5/5 Stars

September In Film

September is the transitional month between the end-of summer films and the bigger-budget films of the rest of the year. September tends to be a dumping ground where studios release shitty movies, but this year looks to be an exception. There are a good amount of films I am excited to see in September. Here are my thoughts on the whole lot of September films.

Films I Want To See:
5.Shark Night 3D (9/2): This is only in this section because it looks so bad. I really love bad films of this nature. The PG-13 rating and ridiculous plot should add to the unintentional comic gold mine.

4.Killer Elite(9/23)-Me being action whore and this great cast made want to see this instantly. Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert De Niro should feed of each other well and make this a fun action flick.

3.50/50(9/30)- The concept is unconventional ( a comedy about cancer), but that's part of the reason I want to see it. I think this could be a really hilarious movie weaved together with some good dramatic elements and emotional depth. Joesph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen are both awesome and the director Johnathan Levine made The Wackness, which brilliantly weaved together comedy and drama. I am really excited for this.

2.Drive(9/16)-The trailer had me hooked and then I read all the extremely positive reception and I got even more excited. I hope this one live up to the hype.

1.Moneyball(9/23)-I am sucker for sports dramas and this looks like a god damn good one. It also helps I was alive when this happened and I remember the season that is documented in this film. The cast, director, and writers are all excellent. I have really high hopes for this one, could end up being one of the best films of 2011.

Films I Am Not Sure About
Apollo 18(9/2)- I really don't know much about this film, but the concept seems like it might be kind of cool.

Contagion (9/9)-The cast is certainly large and talented, I just have a feeling this could end up being really boring.

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star (9/9)-This looks pretty bad (even the redband trailer isn't very funny), but I am holding out a small amount of hope that Nick Swardson and Allen Covert were able to come up with something funny here.

Warrior(9/9)-The positive reception is definitely a plus, but I am not really a big fan of mixed martial arts. Maybe this will prove me wrong and be as good as the early reviews make it out to be.

Dream House(9/30)-This looks better than a lot of other films from this genre. The cast is also pretty good, but this could very well end being very generic.

Films I have zero interest in seeing (but will anyways due to my quest to see as many 2011 films possible.)
I Don't Know She Does It (9/16)-Sara Jessica Parker annoys the hell out of me and this looks really, really generic.

Straw Dogs(9/16)-This looks basically like The Strangers with rednecks. No thanks...

Dolphin Tale 3D (9/23)-This looks cheesy as hell. I am definitely not the target audience for this film.

Abduction(9/23)-Taylor Launter is such a bad actor and this movie looks completely ridiculous. Every time I see the trailer, I laugh hysterically. It's a shame that a solid director like John Singelton is involved with it.

Courageous (9/30)-Another Christian-themed film about values, fuck that.

What's Your Number?(9/30)-Looks like every other bad romantic comedy out there.

Concert Review: Uproar Festival, Mansfield, MA, August 30th, 2011

Uproar Fest is essentially the hard rock answer to Mayhem Fest (Rockstar sponsors both tours) Normally I wouldn't of went to this show, but my cousin gave me free tickets. The show ended up being better then I expected.

My friend and I arrived a bit late, so we missed the local opener. We got there about halfway through (regular Uproar opener) Hell Or Highwater's set. Hell Or Highwater was really standard hard rock that fell pretty flat. Their whole set was bland as all hell, they were even bad by radio rock standards. Completely forgettable set that turned out to be one of the worst of the day.

Art Of Dying was up next. They were similar to Hell Or Highwater, but they were a lot better. Their vocalist and guitarist were respectable and they were pretty energetic on stage. The only problem with their set was their music is just really average. Not bad at all (especially after Hell Or Highwater), but nothing special either.

Black Tide was next in line.  I was a fan of Black Tide a few years ago when I saw them at Mayhem 08 and they sucked. Not much changed this go-round except Black Tide is touring off of a shitty album now. Gabriel Garcia is an awful singer. After the second song, his voice already sounded strained and raspy. It's not even like he is doing anything crazy vocally, that really shouldn't happen. I will give them a few points for Garcia's guitar playing and their drummer's completely balls-out energy. Despite a few bright spots, Black Tide put on a pretty lackluster performance.

Sevendust closed out the second stage and completely destroyed everyone else on that stage. I really didn't know what to expect because I hadn't listened to Sevendust in a long time and even then I barely listened to them. Their energy and stage presence really struck me immediately. They worked the crowd exceptionally well and you could tell they were having a blast on stage. I probably won't be buying of their albums anytime soon, but Sevendust was pretty damn good live and put one of the best performances of the day.

On the opposite of the spectrum, Escape The Fate opened the main stage. They were way out of place on this lineup and their terrible performance didn't do anything to change my opinion of them. It seemed the only people into them were the 12-13 year old girls in attendance screaming their fucking heads off. Escape The Fate's scene image and really bad emo-ish metalcore was just sad to me. I will admit their guitarist is pretty good, but other than that, watching Escape The Fate was a pretty painful experience.

Bullet For My Valentine was up next and they were pretty good. For whatever reasons, their material sounds better live. Their set was made up of mostly tracks off their middling last record Fever, which was kind of a bummer. Thankfully, these tracks sound a lot better live. The older material was without a doubt the standouts of their set. I really wish they would play more old stuff, it would make their set quite a bit better. Bullet For My Valentine was on par with the last time I saw them and I wouldn't mind seeing them again.

Seether was the next band up. Their performance was pretty decent. They sounded pretty similar to the studio recordings which is always a plus and their fans were really into them. I really only had one major gripe with their set, the fucking feedback after every song. After every single song, there was just a giant wall of feedback that lasted for a minute and a half until they went into the next songs. It got extremely annoying and they could have played another song or two instead of having obnoxious feedback between every song. It actually brought my grade of their performance down from a 7 to a 6.5. Besides that, Seether's set wasn't bad.

Three Days Grace was the surprise of the day. I have always considered them to be one of the best hard rock bands around and their live show solidified that. I really didn't expect them to be that enjoyable live. Adam Gontier is a damn fine frontman and he sounded spot-on live. His crowd interaction was great and he was funny as hell. Their setlist was pretty predictable, but that really wasn't a issue for a festival like this. I don't know if I would pay to see them headline, but they fit in really well on a festival like this.

Avenged Sevenfold was on next, and they were great. Definitely the best performance out of the three times I've seen them. The setlist had quite a few surprises including most notably "I Won't See You Tonight Part 1". I could not believe they played that, it was one of the most pleasant surprises setlist-wise out of all of the concerts I've been to. The whole band was having a lot of fun. M.Shadows was smiling throughout the show and you could tell he was having a great time on stage. On top of that, the whole band played really well. Synster Gates is a such a great guitarist and their new drummer is damn good as well. Avenged Sevenfold is always a good time live and they closed out Uproar on a high note.

Not a bad festival overall. I probably wouldn't have paid to go, but it was definitely worth taking the free tickets for.Avenged Sevenfold was worth it by themselves and some of the other bands exceeded my expectations.I had a pretty good time and the bands (for the most part) kept me entertained.

 Scores
Hell Or High Water 3.5/10
Art Of Dying 5/10
Black Tide 4/10
Sevendust 7.5/10
Escape The Fate 2.5/10
Bullet For My Valentine 7/10
Seether 6.5/10
Three Days Grace 7/10
Avenged Sevenfold 8.5/10
Setlists:

Art Of Dying included:
Whole World's Crazy
Die Trying

Black Tide:
Warriors Of Time
Bury Me
Let It Out
That Fire
Honest Eyes

Sevendust (jacked from setlist.fm):
Splinter
Strong Arm Broken
Forever
Pieces
The End Is Coming
Face To Face


Bullet For My Valentine:
Your Betrayal
Pleasure and Pain
Waking The Demon
The Last Fight
Guitar Solo
Scream, Aim, Fire
Tears Don't Fall
Begging For Mercy

Seether:
Rise Above This
?
Gasoline
Fine Again
Broken
Tonight
Country Song
Fake It
Remedy


Three Days Grace:
The Good Life
Break
Pain
I Hate Everything About You
I Don't Care
Home/Lose Yourself (Eminem Cover)
Never Too Late
Riot
Animal I Have Become

Avenged Sevenfold:
Nightmare
Critical Acclaim
Beast and the Harlot
Welcome to the Family
I Won't See You Tonight Part 1
Afterlife
Not Ready to Die (live debut)
Scream
A Little Piece of Heaven
Bat Country
Unholy Confessions