Beartooth - The Below Tour Part II

The band Forbes declared is “inching towards a tipping point of becoming the latest arena headliner” takes a step closer with “Riptide.” BEARTOOTH's 2022 anthem  sees Caleb Shomo put the pain of the past in the rearview mirror as he takes the steering wheel from fate to command his own destiny.  

The furiously courageous (almost unnervingly optimistic) song of self-empowerment is a victory lap. “Riptide” memorializes the struggle with mental health and self acceptance, which has defined so much of BEARTOOTH since its inception. Shomo started this band in his basement, playing all the instruments to challenge and  purge inner darkness, purely for himself at first. As the band he assembled to play the songs traveled, they discovered how many people recognized the same demons.  

As Kerrang! observed, “Caleb Shomo is one of his generation’s most remarkable songwriters.” It’s a testament to the purity of intention manifested by the multi instrumentalist from the start. 

Songs like “The Past is Dead,” “Fed Up,” and “In Between” have pushed BEARTOOTH past 850 million streams. The band’s fourth album, Below, topped the Rock,  Hard Music, and Alternative charts in 2021 and found its way into Best Rock/Metal Albums of the Year lists assembled by the likes of Revolver, Rock Sound,  Kerrang!, Loudwire, Knotfest, and a slew of like-minded media outlets.  

Rolling Stone introduced BEARTOOTH as one of 10 New Artists You Need To Know, and they rightly described the sound as “like a nervous breakdown, usually  with enough optimism to push through.” As the band grew (grabbing trophies at genre events like the Golden Gods and Loudwire Awards), the raw nerve simply  became more exposed, sounding wilder yet accessible all at once.  

Steadily, without pretension, the fearlessly determined and boundlessly creative Ohio-based powerhouse perfected a sound sought by a generation of bands, equal  parts solitary musical confession and celebratory exorcism. Their marriage of colossally catchy choruses and post-hardcore-soaked-in-sweaty-metal is without rival.  Its effect is evident by their deeply engaged audience; tours with Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon, and A Day To Remember; and an RIAA-certified gold plaque.  

BEARTOOTH is both bomb and balm. An outright refusal to suffer in silence, BEARTOOTH weaponizes radio-ready bombast to deliver raw emotion mixed with  noise-rock chaos. Other bands play the “devastating riffs and catchy hooks” game, but for BEARTOOTH, this music is the difference between life and death. As  easygoing, charming, and outgoing as these young men may appear, there’s an inner turmoil churning away, only satiated by the savage music they perform onstage.  

Hard rock and hardcore combine in a way that’s smart, lean, melodic, and irresistible, without apology. The stadium-sized type of riffs found in Metallica and the  explosive passion of The Used are equally at home. Back in Black was the first album Shomo ever bought with his own money, and the straight-to-the-point stomp of  AC/DC’s masterpiece remains entrenched in the BEARTOOTH backbone. Motörhead’s fast-paced groove and “let it rip” attitude is another part of the anatomy.  

Like Nine Inch Nails and early Foo Fighters, BEARTOOTH is a one-person band in the studio, written, arranged, engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by  Shomo. The 2013 Sick EP was an emotionally stranded Shomo’s “message in a bottle,” tossed into a figurative ocean. The message was received, and the throngs of  like-minded people who responded became his lifeboat.  

Disgusting (2014), Aggressive (2016), Disease (2018), and Below (2021) expanded those themes of desperation, each sonically getting a step closer to the magical  balance between the blood, sweat, and tears of classic recordings and the smooth gloss of modern production. “Riptide” is a challenge to shake loose the confines of  past trauma and self-loathing and blaze a trail toward better days ahead. 

In 2022, Shomo speaks openly about his mental, physical, and emotional repair, after a lifetime of fighting depression, anxiety, and doubt. “Riptide” celebrates  newfound clarity, with stark honesty. It’s a torch lighting the way for the next era of BEARTOOTH, and a promise of bigger things to come.  

BEARTOOTH offers no cure. But the recovery comes in the process; the journey is the destination. As long as the dueling dichotomy of mental health anguish and  cathartic creative expression remain bound together, Shomo and his mates will continue to white-knuckle the wheel. So, enjoy the ride. 

Few bands on their 22nd lap around the scene could claim to be in “just getting started” mode as much as punk stalwarts Silverstein.
 
The release of their tenth studio album, Misery Made Me, finds the group spring boarding off the heights they’ve reached over the past handful of years; their latest album (2020’s A Beautiful Place To Drown) adding 80 Million streams to a mind-numbing career total of 500 Million; it collecting a nomination for Rock Album Of The Year at the esteemed Juno Awards; and its most recent headliner selling out nearly every date in elite rooms.
 
In bringing Misery Made Me to life Silverstein have continued to build on their already-wide reaching impact. Immersing themselves in new technologies like TikTok, Discord, NFTs, the metaverse and Twitch (even holding public writing sessions with fans over the latter) during its formation, the band have confirmed their unique ability to adapt and connect in all cycles of their career.
 
Interestingly, amid all the positivity and connectivity injected into its creation there comes a dark set of themes underpinning the album, as its title might suggest. Inspired by the past two years, Misery Made Me is a depiction of Silverstein – and world at large’s – collective turmoil, frustration, and anxiety.
 
“I wanted to explore the meaning of ‘Misery’ as a main theme throughout the album,” says vocalist Shane Told. “Despite the mountains climbed and boulders pushed during recent years, we were confronted by the weight and misery of staying relatively in the same place for a long period of time. Finding peace in the reality of this misery became important. The record is about the acceptance of a new reality and adapting to it.”
 
Ultimately, Misery Made Me finds the band trying to navigate the ever-worsening challenges of our modern world – angst, doomscrolling, and disassociation. It’s a record that is a product of the moment in time in which it was created yet doesn’t feel like it will date itself anytime soon, as many of its topics of loneliness, anxiety and isolation are eternal human struggles.

Exemplified by the anthemic opener ‘Our Song’, Misery Made Me is part acceptance of the band’s personal miseries, and part declaration that they will not be buried by them. At the back end of the record lies ‘Live Like This’ (ft. nothing,nowhere.) and arguably its most bleak and haunting lyric: “I don’t want to die, but I can’t live like this.”
 
Singles ‘It’s Over’ and ‘Ultraviolet’ dive deeper into this feeling of desperation, describing the utter helplessness of losing control to anxiety.
 
“’It’s Over’ is about the spiral that leads to giving up,” shares guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau. “Those anxiety packed hours when you can’t feel anything but the low, steady crescendo of panic that eventually gets so intense your fingertips lose sensation. It’s hopeless to feel but pointless to endure. I didn’t learn anything from feeling that way. I just wanted it to stop.”
 
“’Ultraviolet’ is about feeling powerless and under the control of the chemicals in your brain,” he adds. “Ultraviolet light itself being invisible felt like the right way to describe this notion. To get lost in this unseeable thing. UV also causes physical damage to our skin, so it serves as a sort of ‘proof’ that something invisible like anxiety can hurt us.”
 
Filled with moments of relentless energy throwing back to their hardcore roots (‘Die Alone’ ft. Andrew Neufeld), to visionary moments of modern heavy (‘The Altar / Mary’), Misery Made Me fastens Silverstein’s status as torchbearers of the scene on all fronts.
 
It’s both intriguing and inspiring that a band – who could have merely rested on the impressive legacy they’ve already cemented – would continue to dig deep and find the inspiration to reach people in meaningful new ways. Misery Made Me is a campaign hinged on Silverstein’s reflection and gratitude for their roots, their honouring of their earliest fans, and their staunch desire to explore forward-thinking and adventurous ways to connect with new ones.
 
Misery Made Me is out May 6 via UNFD.
 

The Devil Wears Prada have always explored life’s extremes in their music. They’ve never shied away from staring down darkness, dealing with depression, making sense of confusion, soothing anxiety, or grappling with faith, existence, and death. At the same time, they’ve mirrored life’s ups and downs by alternating between crushing heaviness and heart-wrenching melodies. After over two decades of making music, their union as bandmates—but more importantly as friends—is stronger than ever. All of this time and experience ultimately empowered the group—Mike Hranica [vocals], Jeremy DePoyster [guitar, vocals], Kyle Sipress [guitar], Jonathan Gering [keys, synths, programming, percussion], and Giuseppe Capolupo [drums]—to make a statement on their ninth full-length offering, Flowers [Solid State]. Matching bold themes with equally bold songs, they process grief, weather struggle, and not only heal together, but creatively blossom like never before. However, they still never stop asking questions and simultaneously pushing heavy music forward. “Music has provided so much for us,” Mike declares. “However, we wake up and wonder what it all means like a lot of people do. We’ve lived a less than typical life, and it lends itself to this line of questioning.” “The album is a story of trying to understand why you still deal with darkness and demons even after you’ve gotten everything you thought you wanted,” Jeremy elaborates. “Those things don’t make you happy though, so you’re journeying forward. Eventually, you settle into this quest we’re all on. The record isn’t an answer for what to do. We just said these feelings out loud, so maybe your emotions are validated as a listener.” The Devil Wears Prada have always been there for audiences. Among a string of seminal releases, Revolver readers named With Roots Above and Branches Below [2009] one of the “5 Greatest Metalcore Albums,” the Zombie EP [2010] and Dead Throne [2011] each debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, and 2021’s ZII marked their sixth straight Top 5 entry on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart. They have also tallied nearly a half-a-billion streams—unprecedented for most acts this heavy. The group elevated to another stratosphere with Color Decay [2022], selling out their biggest shows worldwide and receiving some of the highest praise of their career. Beyond acclaim from New Noise Magazine, KERRANG!, OUTBURN, Loudwire, and Hysteria, Metal Hammer went as far as to rave, “Color Decay might just be their finest hour.” During 2024, the musicians decamped to a VRBO in Rodgers, AR for three weeks where they constructed the foundation for the LP with Jon again at the helm as producer. Following their time “in this heavenly corner of Arkansas,” Jon, Jeremy, and Mike took a handful of trips to Los Angeles. Putting the finishing touches on recording, the guys collaborated with Tyler Smyth [I Prevail, Falling In Reverse], Austin Coupe [Lø Spirit, Moodring], Colin Brittain [Linkin Park, Papa Roach], Fit For A King’s Bobby Lynge, and Marshall Gallagher of Teenage Wrist. They also enlisted Color Decay collaborator Sam Guaiana as an engineer and tapped Zakk Cervini [Bring Me The Horizon, Spiritbox] for mixing and mastering. 20 years deep into their career together, their creativity has surged to life on Flowers though, representing perhaps their most significant creative leap forward yet. Fans immediately reacted too as The Devil Wears Prada heralded the album with “Ritual” and “For You,” reeling in tens of millions of streams and stoking anticipation. They properly introduce Flowers with the dual-single “Where The Flowers Never Grow” and “Wave.” The former’s bright keyboard melody blossoms out of a frenetic beat, while a thick riff buzzes underneath the bridge. Illuminated by a flurry of flickering keys and guitar, raw emotion spills from the irresistible refrain, “I fall back to what I know, that same place where the flowers never grow.” They’re using “happy” sounds to pacify pain. “The ‘place where the flowers never grow’ is an analogy for where you go when you’re alone,” reveals Jeremy. “For us, it could be sitting still alone and wondering why we can’t find happiness. You’ve got to find peace in the mediocrity instead of striving for it externally.” As “Wave” ebbs and flows, ethereal guitar accompanies a gentle vocal accented by sparse keys. Breathy delivery carries the open-hearted hook over soft strings. Mike says, “We like to map out our lives, but you’ve got to be able to relinquish control.” It serves as a reminder to let life lead you where it will. “I try to be positive and think, ‘Ride the wave, man,’,” smiles Jeremy. “I believe there’s a true path you’re supposed to be on. If you fight against, it can be hard.” Pulsating keys give way to an upbeat drum gallop on “So Low.” This forward motion breaks on a plea, “I wish that somebody could tell me why the highs feel so low. I only feel alive when I lose control.” It recognizes a toxic personality trait, wrestling with the need for attention. “To me, ‘So Low’ is almost fighting the mundane, setting it all on fire, and blowing it up to get a reaction,” notes Mike. Ominous bass rumbles straight through “Everybody Knows” until a clean electric guitar uplifts another chant, “I can’t get back. Gotta find another path. Maybe this will finally take home.” “It’s sort of a continuation of ‘Chemical’,” Jeremy reveals. “You’ve had too many drinks. You try keeping it together, but your anxiety is making you feel like everybody knows you’re out of control.” The airy hum of “Eyes” instantly transfixes as the verses wrestle with existential questions. The tension overflows through a scream, “Give me eyes.” “For Jeremy and me, ‘Eyes’ removes the veil of what we personally believe and religion,” Mike states. “I was raised in a very ordinary Christian home, but we aren’t a Christian band. We’re speaking on the concept.” Then, there’s “All Out.” Laser-precise riffing thrashes and burns, tumbling beneath the undertow of the breakdown at full speed. Unpredictable rhythms track the manic jumps from melodic vocals to guttural growls. “Lyrically, it’s about seeing a friend choose selfishness over the relationship,” Mike comments. “It’s got a bit of the past and the present, musically.” Flowers is The Devil Wears Prada at their most honest, heartfelt, and here in the moment. “We’re no different than you are,” Jeremy reminds. “We’re all in this together, and we’re all going to get through it together.” “The fact we’re still here after twenty years is amazing,” marvels Mike. “Once the record’s over, you sort of accept this is where we are, this is where we landed, and this is where we’re meant to be.” BOILER The Devil Wears Prada have always explored life’s extremes in their music. They’ve never shied away from staring down darkness, dealing with depression, making sense of confusion, soothing anxiety, or grappling with faith, existence, and death. At the same time, they’ve mirrored life’s ups and downs by alternating between crushing heaviness and heart-wrenching melodies. It’s been that way since the beginning. Among a string of seminal releases, Revolver readers named With Roots Above and Branches Below [2009] one of the “5 Greatest Metalcore Albums,” the Zombie EP [2010] and Dead Throne [2011] each debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, and 2021’s ZII marked their sixth straight Top 5 entry on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart. They have also tallied nearly a half-a-billion streams—unprecedented for most acts this heavy. The group elevated to another stratosphere with Color Decay [2022], selling out their biggest shows worldwide and receiving some of the highest praise of their career. Beyond acclaim from New Noise Magazine, KERRANG!, OUTBURN, Loudwire, and Hysteria, Metal Hammer went as far as to rave, “Color Decay might just be their finest hour.” After over two decades of making music, their union as bandmates—but more importantly as friends—is stronger than ever. All of this time and experience ultimately empowered the group—Mike Hranica [vocals], Jeremy DePoyster [guitar, vocals], Kyle Sipress [guitar], Jonathan Gering [keys, synths, programming, percussion], and Giuseppe Capolupo [drums]—to make a statement on their ninth full-length offering, Flowers [Solid State]. Matching bold themes with equally bold songs, they process grief, weather struggle, and not only heal together, but creatively blossom like never before. Flowers is The Devil Wears Prada at their most honest, heartfelt, and here in the moment.

Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama - ERRA has continuously brought titanic riffs, enchanting melodies, and immersive soundscapes to each of their progressive metal albums. They have been described as part mind-altering substance, part meditation, reveling in each musical moment of exultation. 

ERRA regularly appears on tastemaker playlists like Kickass Metal on Spotify and has charted multiple times on the Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums at No. 1. Most recently ERRA’s sixth album, CURE, strengthens and deepens the forward-thinking progressive metalcore they built their reputation on. It’s an album full of atmospheric ecstasy and moody groove on the heels of their stunning 2021 self-titled set. CURE charts an ambitious course for ERRA’s next era.

They’ve toured extensively, with bands including Bad Omens, TesseracT, Ice Nine Kills, Dance Gavin Dance, August Burns Red, and Wage War and continually headline their own sold out tours all across the world.