In This Moment: Big Things Ahead in 2013

I had a chance to sit down with In This Moment co-founder Chris Howorth before their show in Richmond, VA at The National to talk about the amazing 2012 the band had and what lies ahead in 2013. You can read about it here:

http://www.rockrevoltmagazine.com/jan-feb-2013-rock-revolt-magazine/

A Rainy Uproar Stop In Bristow, Virginia Still Manages To Rock The Fans

The Rockstar Uproar Festival is typically one of the last big concert packages of the summer. Where the Mayhem Festival focuses on bands more of the metal genre (with some exceptions), the Uproar leans more towards the rock/hard rock genre. The show pulled into Bristow, VA to the Jiffy Lube Live Amphitheatre on September 2. This beautiful venue is located a roughly thirty miles away from Washington, DC and is sometimes listed as DC on a lot of tour schedules. The bands even referred to the crowd as DC on and off throughout the day.

At first, it seemed as if Mother Nature was not in the mood to rock that day as the skies opened and the rain began to pour. My guess is that Hurricane Isaac must be a fan of easy listening music as he was the blame for all the rain pounded the area. It made for a very difficult road-trip there and a very muddy parking lot coming into the venue. I think many people were deciding to wait out the storm at home as the crowd was slow coming into the venue after the gates opened.

One of the first bands that we saw perform was Mindset Evolution. The band won the grand prize on the 2011 Ernie Ball Music Man Battle of the Bands which included a spot to play on the next year’s Uproar Festival. The guys definitely made the most of their opportunity last year and continue to win fans over this year with a great, high energy performance. Redlight King received a very favorable response from the crowd that was beginning to grow as the rain was finally letting up. These guys have had several songs all over the radio including “Old Man” and the hugely popular “Bullet in my Hand”.

Up next was a red-hot band with a lot of momentum going into the Uproar tour. In This Moment took the stage to deliver songs from their new album Blood, which debuted at #15 and had huge first week sales. Maria Brink and the boys delivered a tight five song set which closed with their song “Blood”. There was more stage props incorporated into the show making it more theatrical, which was a nice touch. Maria did not venture out into the crowd this time to start her circle pit, which was a disappointment for some. It was a bitter sweet day as this was the last day that In This Moment performed as they were only invited to perform on half of the tour. On a positive note, they definitely had the biggest crowd for both of the side stages that day.

Speaking of momentum, Fozzy was another band coming into the tour with a lot of momentum. Their newest album Sins and Bones also saw a huge first week and it definitely had the guys pumped up. Lead singer and WWE Superstar Chris Jericho definitely has the charisma to front a band of any genre. They also had a tight, thirty minute set that featured selection off the new album including the popular single “Sandpaper”, even though M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold was nowhere to be found. The band sounded great and was very animated; they were definitely having a blast on-stage.

P.O.D., touring in support of their latest album Murdered Love, could be considered by many in attendance as the “elder statesmen” of the tour. These guys have been doing what they do for twenty years, but you wouldn’t know it once they hit that stage. They headlined and closed the side stages were one of the best performances of the day. Lead singer Sonny Sandoval knows how to get a crowd fired up. At one point, he even walked out on top of the crowd as they help him up. “Youth of the Nation” and “Alive” drove the crowd into a frenzy. These guys were certainly one of the highlights of the day.

The main stage was now open as Adelita’s Way kicked off things. Rick DeJesus and the boys had the shortest time on the main stage, but still had to make as big as an impact as the headliners. It was tight set that was heavy on selections from their sophomore album Home School Valedictorian. “Invincible”, “Hurt” and their latest hit “Criticize” all went over well with the crowd. It would have been nice to see their set time expanded to be able to include a couple of more song as they were well deserving of more stage time.

Staind were up next as Aaron Lewis and his band mates took the stage to a near packed amphitheater. Staind has that unique ability to deliver a very emotional power ballad and then press the pedal to the floor and crank out a hard rocker. “Right here”, “Something to Remind me”, “Now” and “It’s Been Awhile” were all present and accounted for. As always, the band sounded great, but I just wish they would chug an energy drink before hitting the stage. Rockstar was the tour sponsor, so there were plenty of drinks to be found. I just find their stage show to be a little boring at times.

Godsmack was up next and I was curious to see the reaction that they would receive. The house lights went down and a pre-recorded video began to air of various Godsmack footage accompanied by AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock”. This certainly got the crowd fired up and the band hit the stage hungry and ready to deliver. The band sounded tight and cranked out the hits one after another. “”Whatever”, “Voodoo” and “I Walk Alone” were all included. I was a little surprised that their cover of “Rocky Mountain Way” off of their latest album wasn’t included.

The drum war between Sully Erna and drummer Shannon Larkin was included this time around which the crowd approved with their horns raised high in approval. I saw Godsmack on Mayhem last year and comparing the two shows, it seems that they were more of an Uproar band. They definitely received a more favorable reception from this crowd and the audience participation seemed to favor the Uproar crowd as well.

Only one band was left to close the day and that was Shinedown. Brent Smith and his band of musicians have been touring like madmen since the release of their latest and highly successful album Amaryllis. The boys have added a ton of pyro to the show and for the most part, it works for them. Shinedown have definitely had their share of radio hits and just about all of them were featured in their set. “Second Chance”, “If You Only Knew”, “Bully” and “Unity” were all on-board as well as “The Sound of Madness” and “45”.

One surprise, depending on how much you read on-line, in their set was when they brought out Maria Brink of In This Moment to perform “Devour” with them. It was a great performance and watching Brent and Maria together it was very apparent they were having a blast. Another great point was when Brent, along with guitarist Zach Myers, went out into the audience and performed “Simple Man” acoustically. This was a great touch to the already powerful performance delivered by these two guys. Shinedown proved to all in attendance why they were headlining this tour.

Overall, the 2012 Uproar show was a great event, even though it ended the same way it started: with pouring rain. You take that chance with an outdoor show as the weather is an element that none of us can control. It was full day of great music, free Slurpees and free Rockstar Energy Drinks. There many happy fans who got the chance to meet their favorite band and get their autograph too. Even though Papa Roach had to pull out due to Jacoby’s throat problems, it still gets a major two thumbs up this year. Here’s to an even bigger and better 2013 show!

In This Moment Promises There Will Be Blood

He, who learns to welcome misfortune, learns that adversity is the prosperity of the great. This saying definitely applies to Maria Brink and Chris Howorth of In This Moment. They have had many ups and downs since the band’s formation back in 2005. They’ve had almost as many bass players as Spinal Tap had drummers. Last year, their metal saga suffered yet another blow all thanks to American Idol of all things. Yet, through it all, Brink and Howorth kept marching along and not allowing any distractions to capture their Iron Army flag.

The band lost two key members in drummer Jeff Fabb and guitarist Blake Bunzel last year, forcing them to stop and refocus. That loss came just a couple of months before they were supposed to enter the studio to begin on a new album. It ignited something in the duo and awoke a creative beast hungry for redemption. The result is the band’s fourth studio in five years entitled Blood.

The album kicks off with a short song entitled “Rise with Me” which has been serving as the introduction to their live show. It sounds like an intro to a fantasy or futuristic movie and serves as a great kickoff to what is in store. That song leads into the title track and the album’s first single “Blood”. Upon first listen, it’s hard not to notice new elements incorporated into the sound of In This moment that we have grown accustomed to. The first name that comes to mind would be Nine Inch Nails and possibly even Fear Factory. It’s the sound we expect from the band, but with a dose of steroids.

“Adrenalize” has an underlying groove that grabs you at the beginning and grinds its way throughout the entire song. The guitars have a heavy sound to them that’s brings to mind early Pantera. “You’re Gonna’ Listen”, which has already received some play on satellite radio, is a kick ass number with a guitar solo guaranteed to melt your face. This song definitely has a little bit of a Deftones feel to it.

One of the standout tracks on the album has to be “Whore”. The band really explores outside of the box on this with results that are going surprise many. The first time that I heard the song, I couldn’t help but to think of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” when I heard the guitar intro. This is a hot number that combines some newly added electronic elements to their sound with a catchy guitar riff that hooks you in. Maria’s vocal delivery ranges from the sweet and innocent lines of “I can be your everything” to the anger that flows when she screams “you’ll love me for everything you hate me for”. “Whore” is a powerful song on both a musical level as well as a lyrical one.

“Burn” is another powerhouse number and is one of many different layers. As the song progresses, it just seems to keep growing and the more you cut into it, the deeper it gets. It starts out with a layer of piano with some electronic sprinkled on top that gives it a very alluring feeling. Then, as you sink your teeth into that layer, the drums and guitars come crashing in and take it in a totally different direction.        

“Scarlet” is another venture off the traditional In This moment path with very favorable results. It’s a song of forbidden love between two people who have shared so much, yet as Maria sings, “you know how this will end.” It also has a nasty bass line that thumps along almost like the heartbeat of the two lovers in the song. Throw in a wicked little guitar solo and you have the makings of one killer song that could easily get major radio airplay.

“From the Ashes” is a track that sounds new and fresh, yet familiar at the same time. I think it incorporates elements of the first album that will make quite a few fans happy.  “Beast Within” is another one of those songs on here that has a funky under groove to it that is infectious and burrows its way into your head. When Maria mentioned that the new album was sexy and alluring, she wasn’t wrong.

“Comanche” is a song that manages not only to kick some major ass, but it’s also a lot of fun. It kicks off with a nasty bassline and Maria experiments with a bit of a different vocal technique at times that’s pretty cool too. The drumline going through it has a tribal feel to it also. The album closes with a haunting, yet beautiful song called “11:11” and it’s an all vocal song by Maria. When it’s your time to go, can you say that you have lived and loved?

Overall, this album is pretty amazing and it will bring some new listeners into the fold and it may even turn some away who cannot get into the industrial/electronic elements that have been added. Bands have to grow and evolve in order to stay ahead in the industry today and especially if they want to have any legs and be around for a while. I love the new elements that they have added to their sound. At times, it’s not as heavy as their last album and that heaviness has been replaced by a dark and alluring sound that is somewhat sexy at times. I also have to give props to Chris Howorth. He’s never been a slouch when it comes to his playing, but the fire that he and Maria speak of runs all the way through this man’s fingertips. He is playing like a beast on this album. It’s not all in the shredding, which will definitely melt your face, but he’s also a master of some of the simpler chords which adds so much to a song.

It is a rebirth as Maria has stated before and it may take more than one listen to fully appreciate and grasp what the band is doing. The core of Chris Howorth and Maria Brink are not going to let anything get in their way of taking their dream to the next level. This is a new and improved version of their dream and they continue to lead their Iron Army along the journey.