The Word Alive || The Observatory

February 23, 2016

The Word Alive show started off with a bang as The Mirage Theory opened at The Observatory on February 20th, 2016. Hailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, this progressive metal core band was just one of many local bands invited to open for Fit For A King and The Word Alive. Telle Smith (Vocalist of The Word Alive) explained during their set that they had a well known guest band going to come play the show with them, but with only 24 hours notice, the band cancelled leaving The Word Alive in the dust. Instead of being defeated, TWA invited various local bands to open for them instead!

In case you haven’t seen The Mirage Theory at local shows in the Los Angeles area (or in Puerto Rico), they put on an exciting and energetic show regardless of the turnout, venue, or day of the week. During songs “Whaleshark and Dying And The Dead,” keyboard player Jon Viguié throws his keyboard on his back and starts shredding next to guitarist Israel Romero. Citing bands such as Dream Theater, Periphery, and Between The Buried And Me as their influences, The Mirage Theory continues to wow audiences in Los Angeles with their highly technical music and astounding performances. The Mirage Theory is currently recording new material at their recording studio in Brea, Flying Pig Productions.

Opening directly before The Word Alive was American Metalcore band Fit For A King. Currently signed by Solid State Records and based out of Texas, Fit For A King put on an amazing show that really set the tone for how the rest of the night would go. Everyone in the band was filled with so much positivity and energy before, during, and after the show, making fans fall in love with them even more. Their set was filled with absolutely brutal breakdowns that had the crowd moving and on their feet. Thanks to an interview at the show by Cayem Interviews, Fit For A King said they have just recorded a new album but have chosen not to play any news songs on the tour until singles get released. You can catch Fit For A King on Sunday, March 20th at So What Festival as they open for bands like Beartooth, The Devil Wears Prada, and Underoath.

The moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived. The Word Alive headlined the show at The Observatory in Santa Ana and the crowd couldn’t be any happier. Having just released the song “Sellout” off of their upcoming album, fans flocked to see TWA perform live. They played 7 out of the 10 songs off of their new album which has not yet been released to the public, which left the crowd speechless as they absorbed the new material for the first time. The rest of the set was completely explosive. The crowd was constantly moshing, jumping, and singing along to some of their favorite songs. Throughout the show, massive bursts of smoke would emanate from the stage, filling the room with a beautiful haze. The Word Alive will continue their tour with Fit For A King and will also play at So What Festival in Texas.

The Word Alive:

Dreamer, Sellout, The Hounds of Anubis, Face To Face, Grunge, 2012, Lighthouse, Made This Way, Dark Matter, Entirety, Play The Victim, Trapped, Life Cycles

Fit For A King:

Hollow King (Sound of the End), Ancient Waters, Slave To Nothing, Descendants, Hooked, Forever Unbroken, Warpath

The Mirage Theory:

Colider, Whaleshark, The Dying and The Dead, Disappear

Bullet For My Valentine & Asking Alexandria || The Wiltern

February 08, 2016

With 2.3 million views on their new music video "The Black” in the first week, Asking Alexandria continues to maintain their popularity despite departing with their vocalist Danny Worship last year.

New vocalist Denis Stoff created an electrifying performance at The Wiltern, leaving the whole crowd exhausted before headliner Bullet For My Valentine. Asking Alexandria had the entire crowd on their feet several times during their performance. Hands raised and devil horns up, it was quite clear that the crowd loved the show.

As Bullet For My Valentine took to the stage, the whole crowd screamed “Bullet, Bullet, Bullet” in unison. The stage was packed with smoke and large spinning lights decorated the background, filling the venue with copious amounts of light. Every song was played perfectly and everyone’s vocals sounded flawless.

After negative reviews of their previous album Temper Temper, Bullet For My Valentine truly stepped up their game and created the album Venom, which brought their sound back to their older albums Fever and Scream Aim Fire. Bullet’s drummer Moose has taken some time away from the band (who has been touring and recording non-stop for 11 years) to be with his wife who is pregnant with their first child. Jason Bowld is currently stepping in on the drums for the remainder of this touring cycle.

Matt explained all of this to the crowd, then introduced Jason who went into a drum solo of epic proportions. It was a sold out show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, and this stop of the British Invasion Tour seemed to be a highlight for the bands. Bullet For My Valentine and Asking Alexandria are also touring with While She Sleeps for the remainder of the tour.

Bullet For My Valentine Setlist:

No Way Out, Skin, Your Betrayal, 4 Words (To Choke Upon), You Want A Battle? (Here’s A War), The Last Fight, Drum Solo, Raising Hell, Scream Aim Fire, Venom, The Poison, Alone, Worthless, Hand Of Blood, Encore: Tears Don’t Fall, Waking The Demon

Asking Alexandria Setlist:

I Won’t Give In, Run Free, The Death Of Me, Breathless, To The Stage, The Black, Not The American Average, A Prophecy, The Final Episode (Let’s Change The Channel)

Our Last Night || The Viper Room

January 30, 2016

As a person who shoots a lot of bands, I've been able to tell when artists are putting on a performance. The first band to play, ZiBBZ, had one of the most genuine performances I've seen yet. Or maybe they're just the best at faking it! I'll never know.

Every moment was filled with joy and excitement as they shared their music with the crowded room. The simplistic drummer (Stee) and vocalist (Coco) combo echoes other bands such as Twenty One Pilots and The White Stripes, but their music is entirely unique. One song was played entirely off of an iPhone synthesizer by drummer Stee which felt organic and original. The lighting setup was amazing for an opening band due to the fluorescent triangle positioned behind the drums. Almost minimalistic and tribal, ZiBBZ put on a fantastic performance and I definitely would like to see and shoot them again.

Finally the moment everyone was waiting for. Our Last Night took to the stage with a shorter set than usual, but the intensity and fun was all the same. A team of camera operators decked out with Canon C300's, 70-200's, and 24-70's (for all you camera nerds out there), filmed the entire performance which will be released at a later date. OLN played songs mostly off of their new album Younger Dreams which dropped in June of 2015. They even played an acoustic version of their Justin Bieber cover "Sorry". Their 7 song setlist consisted of Road To The Throne, Prisoners, Home, Younger Dreams, White Tiger, Sorry (acoustic), and Sunrise. All in all, it was a great show and what made it even better was that it was FREE! OLN killed it at the legendary venue, The Viper Room and I'm stoked to see what they do next!