MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 08/16/19 - HELLYEAH

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 08/16/19
GUESTS :: HELLYEAH

HOUR 1
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – “the signal fire” // atonement
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS – “tear me apart” // be good
VERSION 5 – “why don’t you drop” // version 5
GOODNIGHT RITUAL – “across the fields” // galore
THUNDERPUSSY – “never know” // milk it - ep
JOHNNYROOK – “lucky you” // lucky you - single
COLD – “without you” // the things we can't change

FIREFIGHT – “identity” // identity
KORN - “you'll never find me” // the nothing
SKILLET – “back to life” // victorious
SEVENDUST – “dirty” // all I see is war
DIRTY HONEY – “when I’m gone” // dirty honey - ep
ALTER BRIDGE – “wouldn’t you rather” // walk the sky
ATTENTION - "stand strong" // stand strong
BAD WOLVES – “I’ll be there” // I’ll be there – single

HOUR 2
HELLYEAH - "say when" // blood for blood
HELLYEAH - "welcome home" // welcome home
HELLYEAH - "333" // welcome home

HELLYEAH - "perfect" // welcome home
ENEMY X – “endless circle” // endless circle
LET IT BREATHE – “second hit” // let it breathe
SLIPKNOT – “nero forte” // we are not your kind
NUISANCE – “ashes of empires” // 10 or 10,000
LACUNA COIL - "layers of time" // black anima
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – “as sure as the sun will rise” // atonement
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – “I am broken too” // atonement

**SPECIAL THANKS to TOM from HELLYEAH for sitting down with the Midwest Beatdown this week!! HELLYEAH’s new album “Welcome Home” comes out on Sept 23 on Eleven Seven and can be pre-ordered here!

REVIEW : GOJIRA @ First Avenue

REVIEW :: GOJIRA
FIRST AVENUE in Minneapolis, MN
08/09/19

PHOTOS BY BRETT ZISLER

As soon as GOJIRA announced they were playing First Avenue in Minneapolis, I wasted no time in buying a ticket. Same can be said for Brett. This was a show we were not missing. GOJIRA have been an exciting find in the years of this radio show's existence. I'll never forget getting my hands on the promo copies of From Mars to Sirius and The Way of All Flesh. Something I had never heard before, something exciting. I love seeing bands at different venues around town from the Target Center opening for Metallica, headlining the defunct Mill City Nights, opening and then headlining at the Myth, two sets out at Somerset Amphitheater and now finally headlining First Avenue. There's no better venue for me.

The band came out to deafening reception and tore in to "Oroborus" and then decimated with "Backbone". I saw the CO2 coming during "Backbone" but what I wasn't ready for was the streamers shooting out at the beginning of "Stranded". There was a smile on every person's face in the crowd. "Stranded" got a huge reaction and it's one of those songs you can't deny - gets you excited. The band was enjoying themselves just as much as the crowd was enjoying being a part of this momentous occasion.

"Flying Whales" is always a crowd pleaser in the set and sounded massive as ever in this historic venue. "Love", "Terra Inc" and "Blow Me Away You(niverse)" from the Terra Incognita record showed up tonight. Always nice to see a band going back to their first record. "L'Enfant Sauvage" made a welcomed return on this tour sounding better than ever. There was something about this performance of "The Shooting Star", I'm not totally sure what but this was my favorite performance of it so far. Mario's drum solo lead into "Toxic Garbage Island" at the beginning of the encore. A crushing "Vacuity" signaled the show was coming to a close before the band led into their final song for the night "The Gift of Guilt".

Jean-Michel flew around the stage as he always does holding down the low end. Mario is fantastic to watch as he is a machine behind the drums. Joe and Christian trading crunch and solos are seriously one of the best guitar duos in metal right now. These 3 off day headlining shows from the Knotfest Roadshow are insanely special and not just because Minneapolis was one of the 3 to get these shows. But also as a victory lap for the Magma touring cycle as Joe confirmed on stage that they would go in to the studio to finish the new album once the Knotfest Roadshow was over. This was a show all of us in attendance will never forget and we will be doing the "Remember when Gojira headlined First Avenue!?!" for many years to come.

SEE MORE OF BRETT'S GOJIRA PHOTOS HERE!

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 08/09/19

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 08/09/19

HOUR 1
SLIPKNOT – “birth of the cruel” // we are not your kind
BEARTOOTH – “bad listener” // disease
A DAY TO REMEMBER – “the downfall of us all” // homesick
ODDS OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT – “show me a sign” // through the eyes of change
DIVIDE THE FALL – “I won’t fade away” // I won’t fade away – single
CITY OF THE WEAK – “censor this” // pulling teeth
COLD KINGDOM – “volatile” // into the black sky

SKILLET – “back to life” // victorious
SEVENDUST – “God bites his tongue” // all I see is war
ATMOSPHERE feat deM atlaS – “finer things” // Frida Kahlo vs Ezra Pound
DOOMTREE – “grey duck” // all hands
RED – “death of me” // innocence and instinct
EYES SET TO KILL – “reach” // reach
TURNSTILE – “real thing” // time and space
LATE NIGHT FIGHTS – “sway” // bliss

HOUR 2
TOOL – “fear inoculum” // fear inoculum
GOJIRA feat DEVIN TOWNSEND – “of blood and salt” // of blood and salt – single
ZAKK SABBATH – “fairies wear boots” // live in Detroit
AVATAR – “hail the apocalypse” (live) // the king – live in Paris

SLIPKNOT – “red flag” // we are not your kind
ERIS – “aret efter” // formation
CWN ANNWN – “outlander” // patron saint
OPETH – “heart in hand” // in cauda venemum
AFTER THE BURIAL – “behold the crown” // evergreen

REVIEW : HELLYEAH / NONPOINT @ Varsity Theater

REVIEW :: HELLYEAH, NONPOINT, SLEEP SIGNALS
VARSITY THEATER in MINNEAPOLIS, MN
08/07/19

Photos by Brett Zisler

HELLYEAH brought their A Celebration of the Life of Vinnie Paul tour to the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, MN and it was as much of a celebration of life as it was a statement for Hellyeah. These 4 guys have been thru a lot in the past year and have persevered. HELLYEAH was on fire, playing with not just something to prove but with a whole new meaning behind what they're doing. Let's face it, this tour could easily not be happening nor could the album coming out next month.

HELLYEAH came out swinging with "X" into the brand new track "Oh My God" which sounds even better live! Roy Mayorga is an excellent addition to the band doing Vinnie proud. These are shoes 99.5% of drummers could not fill and Roy is doing it with absolute precision and delicacy. Chad is in amazing shape sounding phenomenal on the vocals dominating the stage as he always does. Tom, Christian and Kyle are insanely tight getting the crowd revved up on songs like "333" and "Say When".

The packed crowd was enjoying the new material just as much as the old material as evident during the sing alongs on "Love Falls" and the new track "Welcome Home". We also got to hear another new song that hasn't been released yet with a very touching video with a lot of behind the scenes footage of Vinnie Paul called "Sky and Water"

It's not easy to go out and do some Pantera songs. That's a catalog that's held near and dear to a lot of metal head's hearts. Hellyeah proved they can rise to the occasion with no problems whatsoever. The band ripped thru "I'm Broken" and "Walk" to a frenzied Varsity Theater. Even the bartenders couldn't resist getting in to it singing along to "Walk" as they poured drinks. Finishing up with "Hellyeah" a lot of people went home extremely happy with the show they just saw. HELLYEAH is tighter than they have ever been and that's because they have a new energy, a new fire to keep Vinnie's music and memory alive for years to come. You know Vinnie is up there with Dime smiling.

NONPOINT did an amazing job being direct support to HELLYEAH. NONPOINT came out with "Breaking Skin" and going right in to "Chaos and Earthquakes". The band kept the set to their singles that you would hear on the radio adding in a vicious "Dodge Your Destiny" and a nice deep cut from their latest album X with "Milestone". NONPOINT made the most of their 40 minute set which flew by. "Fix This" sounded perfect along side "That Day" and "What a Day".

Elias is one of the most underrated frontmen out there. Getting down into the crowd standing on the barricade and whipping the crowd around with "Bullet with a Name" before exiting the stage so Hellyeah could dominate. This band has only gotten better since Rasheed, B.C. and Adam have been in the band. I probably shouldn't point this out but this is the first show I've seen since Statement came out that Robb wasn't playing drums sitting parallel to the audience. I really missed it.

HELLYEAH and NONPOINT are text book definitions of an amazing live band. While I would've loved to hear some of the heavier songs in the Nonpoint catalog, you can deny the set they picked out. They were definitely looking forward to grabbing some Hellyeah fans who might not have heard of them even though these two bands have been touring together in some form for many, many years. This tour gave fans a dynamic pairing giving the fans their money worth!

Unfortunately, I missed SLEEP SIGNALS' set but I heard great things from random people in the crowd. Even though this was a hometown show for them, there was a lot of new fans for them to gain. Congratulations to Sleep Signals for getting on this tour and check out their album At the End of the World! If you missed this show, don't sleep on them when they come back thru again. HELLYEAH's new album Welcome Home comes out Sept 27 on Eleven Seven. NONPOINT's X is out now on Spinefarm. I look forward to a proper headlining set from NONPOINT in the future!

SEE MORE OF BRETT'S HELLYEAH PICTURES HERE!

SEE MORE OF BRETT'S NONPOINT PICTURES HERE!

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 08/02/19

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 08/02/19

HOUR 1
JOHNNYROOK – “lucky you” // lucky you – single
P.O.S feat OPEN MIKE EAGLE & MANCHITA – “infinite scroll” // chill, dummy
ANGRY WATERS – “ours to be had” // angry waters III
SUPERLUNG – “time is of the essence” // demo
REFUSED – “blood red” // war music
DIAMANTE – “when I’m not around” // when I’m not around – single
DIVIDE THE FALL – “I won’t fade away” // I won’t fade away – single

CITY OF THE WEAK – “drag us under” // pulling teeth
COLD KINGDOM – “desire” // into the black sky
DOWN AND ABOVE – “anodyne” // anodyne
HEROES OF HEARTACHE – “tonight” // tonight – single
RAD OWL – “aladdin’s castle” // Madison beast
SKILLET – “legendary” // victorious

HOUR 2
BAD WOLVES – “I’ll be there” // I’ll be there – single
SAUL – “brother” // aeons
ENEMY X – “almost” // enemy x
EMERGENT – “plastic people” // plastic people – single
SLEEP SIGNALS – “I’ll save you” // at the end of the world
NONPOINT – “fix this” // X
HELLYEAH – “333” // welcome home

PANTERA – “the great southern trendkill” // the great southern trendkill
COMMON CHOIR – “lower roads home” // lower roads home – single
GOJIRA – “stranded” // magma
JINJER – “pisces” (live session) // pisces – single
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS – “disappear” // be good
KNOCKED LOOSE – “and still I wander south” // a different shade of blue
VEIN – “end eternal” // errorzone

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 07/26/19

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 07/26/19

HOUR 1
STITCHED UP HEART – “problems” // darkness
DIVIDE THE FALL – “I won’t fade away” // I won’t fade away - single
ANGRY WATERS – “invasive species” (live) // angry waters live
SUPERLUNG – “time is of the essence" // demo
SILVERSTEIN feat CALEB SHOMO – “burn it down” // burn it down – single
WOLFKAT – “missing out” // missing out – single
BULLY – “kills to be resistant” // losing
HEROES OF HEARTACHE – “tonight” // tonight - single

LACUNA COIL – “layers of time” // black anima
THE PUSH – “controller” // oh, victory
SKYWIND – “escape plan” // escape plan v.2 2019
COLD – “without you” // the things we can't stop
EAON – “fan the flames” // eaon - ep
SLEEP SIGNALS – “I'll save you” // at the end of the world
OF MICE & MEN – “how to survive” // earthandsky

HOUR 2
SLIPKNOT – “solway firth” // we are not your kind
GOJIRA – “vacuity” // the way of all flesh
GABRIEL AND THE APOCALYPSE – “counting scars” // alpha bionic
OPETH – “heart in hand” // in cauda venemum
STATIC-X – “push it” // wisconsin death trip
DEVILDRIVER – “not all who wander are lost” // the last kind words

DOPE – “everything sucks” // felons and revolutionaries
ELLEFSON – “hammer (comes down)” // sleeping giants
GREEN DEATH – “lord of the dead” // manufacturing evil
CWN ANNWN – “outlander” // patron saint
ODDS OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT – “show me a sign” // through eyes of change
GOUGE AWAY – “burnt sugar” // hey mercy
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - "I am broken too" // atonement
ENEMY X – “last dance” // endless circle

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 07/19/19

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 07/19/19

HOUR 1
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - "I am broken too" // atonement
FIRE FIGHT – “identity” // identity – single
KORN - "you'll never find me" // the nothing
LATE NIGHT FIGHTS – “fuel the disease" // renal 911
VERSION 5 – “why don’t you drop” // version 5
KRASHKARMA – “wake them up” // morph
LIGHT THE TORCH – “the bitter end" // revival

SAUL – “brother” // aeons
MOON TOOTH – “truth” // crux
COLD KINGDOM – “devil in me” // into the black sky
BARONESS – “boarderlines" // gold & grey
TORCHE – “slide” // admission
CRASH CUDDLE – “dead harmonics" // klaxon
DRUIDS – “new breathe" // monuments

HOUR 2
LET IT BREATHE – “second hit" // let it breathe
CYMOTHOA – “bass ventura fret detective" // sometimes dead is better
WITHER THE TIDE – “wake it up" // wake it up - single
MY ZERO – “can't lose control" // can't lose control - single
NONPOINT - "wheel against will" // X
HELLYEAH – “welcome home” // welcome home

ZAKK SABBATH – “fairies wear boots” (live) // live in detroit
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - "bored to tears" // sonic brew 20th anniversary blend
AFTER THE BURIAL - "behold the crown" // evergreen
VEIN - "end eternal" // errorzone
CONVERGE - "under duress" // the dusk in us
EMPLOYED TO SERVE - "harsh truth" // eternal forward motion
JINJER - "ape" // micro
TURNSTILE - "big smile" // time and space