Towards the end of every decade, a couple of artists emerge with something different, that leads to new trends for the following decade. In 1969, Led Zeppelin took the final step towards what became heavy metal, which Black Sabbath unleashed upon the 1970’s. In the late 1970’s, Van Halen took the world by storm, leading to a guitar explosion in the 1980’s, with one path towards glam metal and another towards thrash. Guns N’ Roses absorbed everything around them and broke it back down as the 80’s ended. This led to the grunge movement of the 1990’s, where the music and the image was more raw and natural. The 90’s were full of actual alternatives, and by the end, hip-hop was making its way into the mix. The 2000’s launched with rap influences found in the music of Linkin Park, Disturbed, Papa Roach and others. As the 2000’s evolved, bad-ass artist such as Shinedown and Halestorm made music personal, sharing the deepest, darkest parts of themselves, while still inspiring us. When the 2010’s wound down, and sharing had become a way of life, artists began looking outwards, writing about the world around them and hoping to bring about positive changes. Bands like Fire From The Gods and Fever 333 led the way to rocking out for social justice.

2020 has been different in many ways, and music has been a reflection of our shared reality. With a global pandemic, a massive social justice movement, and a heated political situation as background, many artists stood up tall to address everything that was going on all around us. There seem to have been more standalone singles recorded and released this year than any other. Some were cover songs, some were re-imagined, and some were written in direct response to the times. Bon Jovi even went so far as to hold the release of their album (mainly due to the cancellation of their summer tour), and recorded 2 new songs – one about the pandemic, “Do What You Can”, and one about racial injustice, “American Reckoning”.

The first trend to hit was a response to the year’s first crisis. As it quickly became apparent that our doctors, nurses and other essential frontline workers were being impacted the most, bands offered emotional and financial support. Nonpoint re-imagined their pro-soldier song “Frontlines” into a pro-healthcare worker anthem “Remember Me (A Frontlines Tribute)”. Shinedown polished off an unreleased track, “Atlas Falls”, and used it to raise money for Direct Relief, who provides personal protective equipment. Bring Me The Horizon unleashed the song of the year, “Parasite Eve”, perfectly capturing the anxiety and fear that continues to grip us all. Halestorm supported #RoadieStrong, an effort to support suddenly out of work concert crew.

The next gut punch to our collective consciousness was the deliberate murder of George Floyd, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement to achieve worldwide support. FEVER 333 released “SUPREMACY” in their continuing efforts to inspire Community, Charity, and Change. Robb Flynn and Machine Head released “Stop The Bleeding”, and enlisted Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage to join him. Black Veil Brides recorded a Bruce Springsteen song from the 1990’s, “American Skin (41 Shots)”.

Everyone expected a fierce political battle as the American Presidency was up for grabs, with the current occupant being our most polarizing figure ever, but his strategy of ignoring and minimizing both the pandemic and racial justice poured fuel on a country quite literally on fire for most of the year. Lamb Of God released an album chock full of sociopolitical commentary. They enlisted Jamey Jasta and Chuck Billy to lend their voices. Tom Morello, Shea Diamond & Dan Reynolds combined on “Stand Up”. Amy Lee and Evanescence released the single “Use My Voice”, accompanied by Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel, violinist Lindsey Stirling, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale and The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen. The band used the song to publicize HeadCount, which encouraged voter registration. System Of A Down responded to the attacks on Artsakh and Armenia with their first new song in 15 years, “Protect The Land”.

In addition to the trends of releasing singles, and supporting social justice causes, the other thing that should be evident by now is the increased level of collaboration between artists. The hip-hop industry has long used guest vocals as a way to enhance each other’s status, and introduce new artists to their audience. The rock world finally seems to be catching on. Hyro The Hero tapped Hellyeah’s Chad Gray on this week’s “Fight”, capping off a year that saw many interesting combinations. This was preceded by Hollywood Undead featuring Papa Roach & Ice Nine Kills on “Heart of a Champion”. They also have Hyro The Hero and Tech N9ne on new tracks. Corey Taylor also tapped Tech N9ne on his solo debut track “CMFT Must Be Stopped”. Islander added AJ Channer of Fire From The Gods on “Freedom”. I Prevail added Joyner Lucas to “DOA”. Breaking Benjamin enlisted Lacey Sturm on a new version of “Dear Agony”. Sixx: A.M. returned in 2020 to headline the opioid crisis Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation benefit single “Maybe It’s Time”, with an all-star cast that includes Corey Taylor, Joe Elliott, Brantley Gilbert, Ivan Moody, Slash, AWOLNATION and Tommy Vext. The Struts enlisted Joe Elliot and Phil Collen of Def Leppard on “I Hate How Much I Want You”. Even Ozzy Osbourne featured Post Malone and Elton John on 2 of his best tracks in decades, “It’s a Raid” and “Ordinary Man”.

If these trends hold true, we can look forward to an exciting decade of rock music, as worlds collide, sounds expand and artists work together to not only make great music, but to leave a positive impact on the world. When concerts and festivals resume, we can only hope that we get to experience some of these musical mashups in person, live on stage.

Top New Trends For Rock Music In The 2020’s first appeared on Game On Media.

In the absence of new festivals to cover, GameOn.media is taking a look back at some of our favorite festivals, which we look forward to writing about and taking pictures of, just as soon as we are able to safely do so again.

Danny Wimmer Presents has become the leading producer of rock festivals in the United States, and one of their crown jewels is Monster Energy Aftershock Festival, which takes place in the fall at Discovery Park in Sacramento, the state capital of California. This event, held amongst the trees in the brilliant sunlight of the day, which fades into the cool crisp autumn evening, has become the biggest hard rock event west of the Mississippi. Fans travel from far and wide to catch up with old friends, check out the biggest legends in music, and discover the new artists which will become their favorites.

Aftershock Festival is perfectly curated to bring in the biggest acts of today, rare appearances by legends, and star-making sets by new bands. Headliners Slipknot, Tool, Blink-182, Korn, Rob Zombie, Disturbed, Shinedown, Limp Bizkit, Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, Avenged Sevenfold, System Of A Down, Deftones, and Slash always put on a killer performance. This fest also offers the chance for younger fans to experience legends such as Alice In Chains, Anthrax, Testament, Megadeth, Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Tech N9ne and Ozzy Osbourne. You should always show up early, as you may get the chance to be introduced to rising stars like Nothing More, Volbeat, Avatar, Ghost, Fever 333, Starset, In This Moment, Badflower and Highly Suspect.

More than 200 artists have graced the stage of California’s largest rock festival, including:

Get your tickets and all info NOW for the 2021 edition, expanded to 4 days and featuring 2 sets from Metallica, as well as headline sets from My Chemical Romance and Limp Bizkit – https://aftershockfestival.com/

These are some of our favorite pictures, captured between 2013 and 2019:

Best of Aftershock Festival

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Festival Rewind – Aftershock Festival first appeared on Game On Media.

Dirty Honey SD19

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Dirty Honey Rocks San Diego House of Blues first appeared on Game On Media.

Louder Than Life. The World’s Largest Rock ‘N’ Roll Whiskey Festival returned to Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 27 – 29, at its new home at the Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center.

Produced by premier independent festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents, Louder Than Life delivered the most spectacular music lineup since the festival began in 2014, with performances from quintessential rock band Guns N’ Roses, the return of chart-topping festival favorites Slipknot and Disturbed, a reunited Staind (in their first public performance in 5 years), Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Ice Cube, Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Halestorm, Dropkick Murphys, In This Moment, I Prevail, Deadland Ritual and many more.  In addition to more than 50 music acts on three stages, Louder Than Life featured award-winning bourbons, whiskey, spirits, craft beer, and the best food Louisville has to offer.

The centerpiece of this year’s event was Guns N’ Roses performing on Saturday night, September 28, 2019. After last year’s event was completely washed out when torrential downpours interrupted the Bourbon & Beyond Festival and destroyed the previous site’s festival grounds, the producer knew they had to deliver something special this year. There are few bands as legendary as Gn’R, and the current lineup featuring Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan resumed their global “Not In This Lifetime” tour this week after a 9 month hiatus.

The anticipation grew as fans waited for 45 minutes after the scheduled performance time, while a custom Gn’R Louder Than Life animated teaser video played on the screens. Finally a helicopter landed nearby, presumably delivering one of the most dynamic front men in rock history to the festival grounds. Minutes later, Duff McKagan walked out and began playing the intro bass line to “It’s So Easy”, as one by one the rest of the band took the stage and joined in. Frank Ferrer on the drums, Richard Fortus on rhythm guitar, Dizzy Reed on piano, Melissa Reese on keyboards, the one and only Slash on lead guitar, and finally the man, the myth, the legend – W. Axl Rose on lead vocals. The band that took the world by storm over 3 decades ago had announced their presence, middle finger to the sky.

They went on to play a full 3 hours of material, pulling from their entire catalog and splashing in some inspiring cover songs. Perhaps the most inspired was a beautifully arranged “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden. Velvet Revolver‘s “Slither” was a close second. The band sounded amazing. Axl was impressive overall, with a few moments of imperfection here and there, but let’s be real – this is live rock and roll – if you want perfection, listen to music alone in your bedroom. Guns N’ Roses is the epitome of epic grandeur, and experiencing songs such as “Coma”, “Civil War”, “Rocket Queen”, “You Could Be Mine” and “November Rain” live is all about the emotional release and shared passion. The true range of their talent and songwriting were evident when they began their encore with the classic Axl whistle on “Patience”, and ended it with the reckless abandon of “Paradise City”.

Guns N’ Roses set list at Louder Than Life 2019 at KY Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky:

It’s So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Chinese Democracy
Welcome to the Jungle
Double Talkin’ Jive
Better
Estranged
Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
Rocket Queen
You Could Be Mine
Shadow of Your Love
Attitude (Misfits cover)
Civil War
Yesterdays
Coma
Slash Guitar Solo (including Maggot Brain)
Sweet Child O’ Mine
Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd cover) (Slash and Richard Fortus guitar duet instrumental)
November Rain (Axl Rose on piano)
Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover) (with Alice Cooper’s “Only Women Bleed” intro)
Nightrain

Encore:
Patience
Madagascar
The Seeker (The Who cover)
Paradise City

Guns N’ Roses Welcomes Louder Than Life to KY Expo Center in Louisville first appeared on Game On Media.

Joyous Wolf is a young band with an old soul, making them a perfect choice to open for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Deep Purple. Vocalist Nick Reese, guitarist Blake Allard, bassist Greg Braccio, and drummer Robert Sodaro bring a classic rock and roll sensibility to their music and performance. The Long Goodbye Tour stopped at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California on September 6, 2019.

We caught up with the Southern California boys after their well-received set, to discuss the whirlwind year they are experiencing. Joyous Wolf has been signed to Roadrunner (Atlantic Records), recorded their debut album “Place In Time”, created several videos, toured for 6 months with Buckcherry, and opened for Stone Sour, Slash with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, and now Deep Purple. When asked what their most memorable day in the past year was, the answered varied from “Tomorrow”, “Today”, “Being accepted and tutored by Buckcherry”, to “Being able to open for Slash”. They are very appreciative of the way that the experienced bands have treated them, and they study what it takes to maintain a long career in music.

The band always spends time at the merch booth, signing autographs and taking selfies with every fan, truly putting in the effort to win over each individual.  They put the same work in onstage, squeezing everything they have into their allotted time, engaging the crowd who typically doesn’t know who they are, many of whom end up joining the Joyous Mob.

Listen to “Place In Time” and track tour dates at https://joyouswolf.com/

Joyous Wolf Pechanga 19

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Joyous Wolf at Pechanga Resort and Casino first appeared on Game On Media.

Slash ft. Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators Announce Summer Tour first appeared on Game On Media.

2018 was one of the best years in recent memory when it comes to quality album releases from some of the biggest names in hard rock. The most common theme was struggling with the past couple of years, both internally and externally, while searching for a path to better days and a hopeful future.

Most people don’t listen to music on hard media these days, but if any of you happen to have any of these on vinyl, give it a spin and let us know how much better it sounds.

Here are our 33-1/3 favorite hard rock albums of 2018.

	1. Shinedown – ATTENTION ATTENTION Not only a great collection of individual songs that grow on you as time passes, but a concept album exploring the human condition and fragile state of mind. Best song: GET UP
	2. Tremonti – A Dying Machine On Mark Tremonti’s 4th solo album, the band is at the top of their song writing game, and Mark’s vocals are his best yet. Best song: Bringer Of War
	3. Halestorm – Vicious Halestorm continues to elevate, expanding their style and always delivering substance. Lzzy Hale’s voice reaches insane heights on this album, full of swagger and a wink of the eye. Best song: Do Not Disturb
	4. Bullet For My Valentine – Gravity A biting tale of betrayal and redemption, with gnarly guitars and snarling sing along choruses. Best song: Over It
	5. Adelitas Way – Live Love Life An exploration into sound and instrumentation, with a lot of heart. A band that keeps getting better with time. Best song: Still Hungry
	6. Atreyu – In Our Wake This album just moves you physically and emotionally, a nonstop assault on your senses. Best song: Anger Left Behind
	7. Sevendust – All I See Is War Some bands improve with age, and Sevendust is one that keeps writing better and better songs. Best song: God Bites His Tongue
	8. Godsmack – When Legends Rise Godsmack returned with their best work since the first two albums. Killer lyrics and a few chances vocally and musically that really pay off. Best song: Under Your Scars
	9. Like A Storm – Catacombs If you don’t know this New Zealand band of brothers, you are missing out. Creative sounds and meaningful lyrics. Best song: Complicated (Stitches & Scars)
	10. Judas Priest – Firepower The Metal Gods put together their best album since Painkiller, almost 3 decades ago. Shreds upon shreds, and Rob Halford just killing it. Best song: Rising From Ruins
	11. Disturbed – Evolution Disturbed extended themselves on Evolution, exploring new sounds while addressing the lost of loved ones to addiction and depression. While not quite the grand slam that Immortalized, it is still another home run from a band who is now 7 for 7. Best song: A Reason To Fight
	12. Pop Evil – Pop Evil Pop Evil self titled this album, fittingly so as it sums up all of the best qualities of the band. Tight musicianship, inspiring vocals and meaningful lyrics. Best song: Be Legendary
	13. All That Remains – Victim Of The New Disease The mysterious death of founding guitarist Oli Herbert shortly before the album’s release lends an otherworldly quality to this powerful performance. The songs are full of guitars and intense vocals. Best song: Everything’s Wrong
	14. P.O.D. – Circles P.O.D. knocks it out of the park on this one, mixing old school hip hop into their Cali vibe rock and roll. Best song: Soundboy Killa
	15. Alice In Chains – Rainier Fog The last ones standing are still setting the bar for the Seattle sound. Best song: Never Fade
	16. Ghost – Prequelle Perhaps the first concept album based on the Plague and the Black Death which killed off half of Europe, Prequelle is spooky, spiritual and catchy. Best song: Dance Macabre
	17. Nonpoint – X Nonpoint continues their unique phrasing and riffing on their 10th album, another stellar effort. Best song: Fix This
	18. Red Sun Rising – Thread Red Sun Rising continues the hit-making momentum on their second effort, proving that they will be around for a long time. Best song: Veins
	19. Parkway Drive – Reverence This is the heaviest album on the list, and probably tops most metal lists for the year. Very aggressive, but also full of hooks. Best song: The Void
	20. Ice Nine Kills – The Silver Scream Each song is based off of a classic horror movie, a concept that could get corny but never does here, as the tunes stand on their own and the lyrical content touches on an aspect of the movie without becoming cliff notes. Best song: A Grave Mistake
	21. Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators – Living The Dream One of the most complete albums that Slash has delivered in some time. The Conspirators are a tight band and this sounds most like a band album, rather than a solo act. Best song: Mind Your Manners
	22. Five Finger Death Punch – And Justice For None 5FDP has a formula and they are sticking with it. Fast songs, ballads, and interesting cover songs. Best song: When The Seasons Change
	23. Breaking Benjamin – Ember The band who practically invented the rock radio sound does it again, showcasing their immense vocal talent and musicianship. Best song: Torn In Two
	24. Three Days Grace – Outsider Three Days Grace finally comes into its own with this version of the band, ditching the self-loathing for an optimistic view on life. Best song: The Mountain
	25. The Alarm – Equals Legendary rebels The Alarm returned with an outstanding record, still questioning the status quo and pushing for peace. Best song: Peace Now
	26. Dorothy – 28 Days In The Valley Dorothy Martin has one of the best bluesy rock voices that you will ever hear. This trippy album could be the soundtrack to a Quentin Tarantino movie. Best song: Ain’t Our Time To Die
	27. Jonathan Davis – Black Labyrinth The leader of Korn has been quietly working on his solo album for years, and we finally got to experience the fruits of his labor. Very personal and very deep. Best song: Basic Needs
	28. Myles Kennedy – Year Of The Tiger Somehow Myles Kennedy found time between Alter Bridge and Slash commitments to put out a solo album. This is all Myles, which means it is amazing. Best song: The Great Beyond
	29. Suicidal Tendencies – STill Cyco Punk After All These Years A sort of new album, which is actually a re-recording of an old Mike Muir solo album. Doesn’t matter, it’s new to me and it is infectious. Best song: Ain’t Gonna Get Me
	30. Avatar – Avatar Country Dilly Dilly! Avatar returned with an album exclusively about the King. Always heavy and always fun. Best song: The King Wants You
	31. Amaranthe – Helix Amaranthe fears nothing, blending all kinds of music, with three vocalists getting into the mix. Best song: Inferno
	32. Skillet Side Dishes: Ledger – LEDGER, Fight The Fury – Still Breathing The members of Skillet took a hiatus and produced 2 separate EP’s. Drummer/vocalist Jen Ledger put out a strong solo album, co-produced by guitarist Korey Kooper. Bassist/vocalist John Kooper got his metal on with guitarist Seth Morrison. Best song: Not Dead Yet, My Demons
	33. Greta Van Fleet – Anthem Of The Peaceful Army Hot newcomers Greta Van Fleet, the family band with the Zeppelin sound, put out their first full album. While not as strong as their EP From The Fires, it still boasts some great tracks. Best song: Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)
	33-1/3. Them Evils – Rollin’ Stoned and Livin’ Free (EP) Them Evils is a throwback rock band on the rise. This EP showcases the promise of what is to come, real rock and roll shaking our asses. Best song: Practice What You Preach

33-1/3 Best Hard Rock Albums Of 2018 first appeared on Game On Media.