Suicide Silence & Whitechapel
with Carnifex & Oceano
Tickets: $23 ADV / $25 DOS
On sale 7/22 at 10am: http://bit.ly/29PyYGz
Suicide Silence:
Many of the greatest works of art throughout history were fashioned from grief, anger and overwhelming despair descending on its creators in the aftermath of tragedy and SUICIDE SILENCE’s appropriately titled You Can’t Stop Me is no exception. Plenty of bands trumpet the idea of strength through adversity, but few have lived it like this one.
As Rock Sound so expertly observed, music can be a powerful healer. “If there was ever a group of people who believed in the cathartic quality of music, it’s Suicide Silence.”
Like the once unthinkable creative and commercial reemergence of ALICE IN CHAINS or the classic, legendary and timeless touchstone that is AC/DC’s Back in Black, Suicide Silence’s You Can’t Stop Me boldly debuted a new frontman on the heels of an earthshaking tragedy. The celebrated Southern California based metal band’s fans demonstrated their fierce loyalty and unwavering support when album number four emerged, putting it at #16 on the Billboard 200 with over 15,000 copies sold the first week. Going forward, the album continued to permeate the hearts and minds of the metal subculture; Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal played it more than any other album in 2014.
You Can’t Stop Me served as a simultaneous introduction to vocalist Hernan “Eddie” Hermida, as well as a celebration of the brotherhood the band shared with Hermida’s fallen predecessor. The group chose the album’s title from a collection of lyrics left behind by the late Mitch Lucker, while their formidable revamped sound makes it clear that Suicide Silence’s resurrection is complete. Ever since Suicide Silence went public with their plans to continue as a band, they’ve put all of the emotions from the last two years into these songs. “Inherit the Crown” name-checks The Black Crown, as Hermida owned the opportunity to honor his friend’s legacy and carve out a place of his own.
Mark Heylmun and Chris Garza (guitars), Dan Kenny (bass) and Alex Lopez (drums) sound more driven than ever, force-feeding their mash-up of death metal, black metal, grind and time-signature bending dissonance into structured, focused and often groove-oriented missives of anger and perseverance. Just as the surviving members of JOY DIVISION were able to remake themselves as NEW ORDER, and as a post-plane crash LYNYRD SKYNYRD was reborn with Johnny Van Zant stepping in for his late brother, You Can’t Stop Me is equal parts mournful tribute and a statement of renewed purpose.
Kerrang! championed the new incarnation of Suicide Silence in a glowing KKKK review. “Eddie’s performance is impeccable – switching from a low grumble straight from the bowels of Beelzebub to the higher abrasive screeches… [It’s] an album that sees the band encapsulate all their past achievements whilst looking forward to brand new horizons.”
Friends and peers George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of death metal legends CANNIBAL CORPSE and Greg Puciato of Noisecore/mathrock saboteurs THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (and Suicide Silence label mates KILLER BE KILLED) both make guest appearances. You Can’t Stop Me was produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, GLASSJAW, SEPULTURA), the band’s longtime friend and collaborator who was scheduled to work on new material with Lucker mere days after the singer’s passing.
The close-knit group of metal heavyweights was on course for a well-deserved victory lap of sorts by fall, 2012. The group had been together for a decade, having shaped and unquestionably led the “deathcore” subgenre as assuredly as MORBID ANGEL became synonymous with death metal, or KORN with n?-metal, upon arrival of their debut album, The Cleansing. Suicide Silence was named “Best New Talent” at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards and had already dominated the Rockstar Mayhem touring festival by the time No Time To Bleed broke into the Billboard Top 40. “Wake Up” and “Lifted” became underground classics, as Suicide Silence transcended the subgenre they helped define and became peers with bands they’d grown up listening to as kids in Riverside.
The Black Crown was the full realization of everything Suicide Silence stood for and stood against. The charisma, easygoing charm and visceral performances of frontman Mitch Lucker helped make Suicide Silence a staple attraction at Vans Warped Tour and extreme metal festivals alike. Lucker’s undeniable command bridged the gap between the subcultural adherents of the band’s bludgeoning ferocity and the generation of youth desperate for a supportive community to help them overcome life’s struggles.
After three successful records, which included remixes and guest appearances from modern metal heroes like Shawn “Clown” Crahan (SLIPKNOT) and Jonathan Davis (KORN), Suicide Silence went on to ink a new deal with the freshly created Nuclear Blast Entertainment in the Summer of 2012, just a few months before their world would forever be changed.
October 31, 2012 became the darkest day anyone involved with Suicide Silence had ever experienced. The band’s beloved frontman, a husband and father, was killed riding his motorcycle on Halloween Night. Support and sympathy poured out from across the globe. The man who popularized the “You Only Live Once” phrase in the heavy music community had left the world behind unexpectedly and much too soon to fathom.
In December, 2012, Suicide Silence took the stage without Mitch for the first time, playing an emotional and career spanning set at the Fox Theater in Pomona dubbed “Ending is the Beginning: The Mitch Lucker Memorial Show.” A who’s-who of luminaries from the band’s friends and peers in metal stood as frontmen, including Chad Gray (MUDVAYNE), Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD), Robb Flynn (MACHINE HEAD), Max Cavalera (SOULFLY) and many others. One of the esteemed guests was none other than Eddie Hermida, a close friend of the band & then-vocalist of ALL SHALL PERISH.
Hermida’s performance of “Slaves to Substance,” recorded along with the rest of the set for a subsequent CD/DVD release, demonstrated a vibrant chemistry with the members of Suicide Silence & eventually led to him being the only vocalist considered for the band’s continuance. An understanding, supportive and loyal audience responded enthusiastically to the October, 2013 announcement that Suicide Silence would officially continue with Hermida at the helm. The news was accompanied by a vocal sample of “You Only Live Once” and a commitment that the band would carry on in Mitch’s honor.
The new Suicide Silence made their live debut at Australia’s Soundwave in 2014, part of a massive lineup that included GREEN DAY, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, A DAY TO REMEMBER, MASTODON and many more. Fittingly, the reinvigorated Alice In Chains was one of the headliners, riding high on a second comeback-era record. The year included a return to Rockstar Mayhem, a co-headlining tour with Black Dahlia Murder, a sold out run across Europe and a performance at SLIPKNOT’s Knotfest, featuring a “who’s who” of modern metal, including FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and VOLBEAT.
Holding true to the their fallen friend’s “You Can’t Stop Me” ethos, Suicide Silence blazed into the New Year with the announcement of a Spring headlining tour with EMMURE called “Stronger Than Faith” and a return to the UK and Europe, this time headlining the Impericon Progression Tour, with support from WHITECHAPEL and more.
Most bands will declare their most recent album the “best” they’ve ever done. Suicide Silence have declared You Can’t Stop Me as their most impassioned, most committed, and most important release thus far. It’s a record they fought, bled, sweated and even cried to make happen. Consequently, it’s a record that has to be heard. As Suicide Silence have found new life and empowerment in the compositions boiling within You Can’t Stop Me, so has their enduringly strong army of supporters, both old and new, who share in that empowerment. If a rising heavy metal band can overcome a tragedy this triumphantly, this definitively, this absolutely, then surely, there’s hope for us all.
Whitechapel:
On October 30th, Whitechapel will unleash their new feature length video release, The Brotherhood of the Blade, which follows the sextet on tour and at home, and dives deep into the hearts and minds of one of metal’s brightest acts. Featuring an exclusive documentary, The Brotherhood of the Blade stands as a glimpse into the band’s world, into each member’s outlook, and the changes they’ve experienced over the past near-decade on the road. Shot and directed by Mathis Arnell for Naughty Mantis, with live show audio recording, mixing, and mastering by Audiohammer’s Mark Lewis, this CD/DVD set is an audio/visual apex that fans won’t want to miss.
The DVD also includes an entire live performance: a hometown gig filmed in Knoxville, TN at The International. Since forming in 2006,Whitechapel has toured extensively around the globe, amassing a level of success of which most only dream. Most recently, their 2014 album,Our Endless War, earned them the bragging rights as one of the heaviest groups to ever crack the Billboard Top 10, plus a #1 spot on the Billboard Hard Rock chart. With each new release, the band takes their career to new heights.
Whitechapel’s Alex Wade (guitar) comments: “We are happy to announce our Indiegogo funded DVD titled ‘The Brotherhood of the Blade’ is now shipping with all perk items to the contributors. We are also excited to announce the DVD will see an official release through Metal Blade Records on October 30th for those of you who did not get a copy in the campaign.
