Sean Danielsen of Smile Empty Soul
July 6, 2009 by Justin
Filed under Interviews
Smile Empty Soul is a 3-piece alternative hard rock band formed formed in 1998 out of Santa Clarita, California, consisting of Sean Danielsen (guitar and vocals), Ryan Martin (bass), and Jake Kilmer (drums).
The much anticipated fourth album from the L.A.-based rockers, called Consciousness, is set for release on August 25, 2009. Consciousness is an incredible collection of rock tracks that showcase the musical talents of one of L.A.’s own.
In support of Consciousness, Smile Empty Soul and Monster Energy Drinks have a very special treat for their fans. When a fan pre-orders the album, they are automatically entered to win an exclusive performance from the band at the winner’s house. The band will deliver their new album to the lucky winner’s house on release day, and play a private party for the winner and the winner’s close friends later that evening. Fans can also join The Monster Army to get a free exclusive song download from Consciousness courtesy of Smile Empty Soul and Monster Energy Drinks.
TheyWillRockYou.com “sat down” with Sean to get his thoughts on the music, among other things, before the album drops.
Interviewed by: Justin | July 2009 Read more
Music as a Weapon Tour – 2009
May 5, 2009 by Justin
Filed under Concert Reviews
Music as a Weapon Tour 2009
Disturbed, Killswitch Engage, Lacuna Coil,
Chimaira & More
May 1, 2009
Target Center – Minneapolis, MN
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Justin
I headed to the Music As A Weapon 4 tour at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Friday night. There’s nothing better than a concert on a Friday or Saturday night. This was no normal concert, but instead a lifestyle event. Not only was there the second stage set up outside before the venue opened, but there were booths with vendors, tattoo artists, and a lot more. The weather was warm, but it was lightly sprinkling most of the afternoon, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time or stop the bands from rocking their asses off.
The bands on the second stage were Suicide Silence, Spineshank, Bury Your Dead, Crooked X, Born Of Osiris, and After The Burial. We were going all over before the doors opened, so I skipped most of the second stage bands, except for Crooked X and Bury Your Dead, and both were awesome.
Crooked X is a hard rock band from Oklahoma. These guys started the band as 5th graders and are high school freshmen now! But they’re skilled beyond their years and they’ve toured with some really REALLY big names before. I really dug the songs “Gone”, “Adrenaline” and “You Gotta Bleed”. They had good charisma and crowd interaction on stage except for one situation. Maybe they were really tired or had too much Coca-Cola, but after the third song of the set, the lead singer Forrest (who also has the start of perfect 80’s style poodle hair) did the usual “Are you guys ready for some heavy metal?” schtick that some bands do. It’s good and all, except after the song he said he had one question for the crowd and was about to ask the same thing until he caught himself and just said he forgot what he was going to say. Minor blip in an otherwise solid stage show. I hope this band stays together, doesn’t get caught up in drugs or big egos, and makes it big. They have the skills and the potential – and time is definitely on their side. I’ll give them a B+.
The other band we saw on the second stage was Bury Your Dead, and they were definitely the best band out there… just ferocious on stage, including Myke Terry on lead vocals. The way they pumped up the crowd, even when it was steadily raining by that time, was impressive. They’d have the second best circle pit of the entire show, next to Killswitch Engage. The first single “Hurting Not Helping” off their new album “It’s Nothing Personal” (which comes out May 26th – they said it only about 16 times) is a pretty damn heavy song, but a little more “radio friendly” than their past work with Mat Bruso on vocals. Some fans referred to them as “Bury Your Slipknot”, but I thought “BURY YOUR %!@*^&# DEAD!” should have made it to the main stage. Maybe next time. BYD gets an A- on the day.
By this time we were headed back into the Target Center. Chimaira started out the show and got the place going. Even though we weren’t on the floor and away from the circle pit (which was one of the highlights of the show), we were close enough to witness the mayhem first hand. Their set list consisted of “Power Trip”, “The Flame”, “Secrets of The Dead”, “The Dehumanizing Process”, “Destroy And Dominate” and “Pure Hatred”. I’d give them a solid B or B+ overall. Awesome opener, and they could have even been second on the bill ahead of Lacuna Coil.
Chimaira
Lacuna Coil was up next. Being the band I’d seen the most times before this show, I knew somewhat of what to expect from them. Cristina is always top notch and a great vocalist, even on the new material, which sounds a little more like Linkin Park to me (or Lacuna Park). You could drop Andrea and add in Chester and wouldn’t miss a beat. Actually, I might like them a LITTLE better then. I know that the dynamic between Cristina and Andrea is one of the “highlights”, but I really wish he’d drop in the background, stay on keyboards or something, and let her take over on all the vocals. I just can’t get into him. They started the set with “To The Edge”, a good head-banging start to their show. “Fragments Of Faith” would follow, and then “Spellbound” off of the new album “Shallow Life”. “Fragile” would be next, and it was kind of cool watching Cristina annotate with hand signs parts of the song that Andrea was singing. Then again, she could just have picked her nose and I’d still be enthralled. One of my favorites “Our Truth” would close out their set, which was solid overall. I’d have liked a track from “Comalies”, but I know with four bands in the lineup, the second band doesn’t have the luxury of time. I still give them a B+ and still dig them after all these years.
Lacuna Coil
Killswitch Engage would take the stage next and they… blew… us… away. The definite highlight of the night. They fed off the crowd’s energy, and vice versa. Guitarist Adam D was the comical highlight of the night. He was clad in clothing that looked like he just finished working out at Lifetime Fitness or something (headband, shorts, running shoes, etc). Instead of the usual stage banter that bands tell the crowd, Adam asked the crowd “ARE YOU READY TO LET ME USE YOUR GIRLFRIEND’S FACE AS A URINAL?” and then the place exploded. By that time, most of the guys were probably wasted enough that they wouldn’t have cared. I heard “A Bid Farewell”, “Fixation On The Darkness”, “Rose Of Sharyn”, “This Is Absolution”, “The Arms Of Sorrow”, “My Curse”, and “Holy Diver” in their set. I missed a couple songs, and there was a new one, which I would later find out was “Light In A Darkened World (Choose This Day)” from the upcoming album due out in late June. KSE would be the pinnacle of the show to me. Every band (including Lacuna Coil) would have a circle pit, but KSE had the majority of the floor in the circle pit. There weren’t many innocent bystanders, and security was working for their paychecks catching crowd surfers. They didn’t end up using my friend Jasmine’s face as a urinal, but I went home later that night and downloaded all their music I didn’t own yet (legally, of course). I can’t wait to see them again. They get the only A of the night.
Killswitch Engage
The band we were all there to see was next, DISTURBED. I think my expectations were too high for them before the show since I hadn’t seen them live, or maybe it was just late after seeing 9 or 10 other bands before them, but I was a little letdown. They had an awesome stage set-up though and David Draiman would descend from the ceiling on their classic logo, which made the place go insane. My favorite Disturbed song “Voices” would start out the set. They had a perfect balance between the classics (“Liberate”, “Prayer”, “Remember”, “Stupify”, “Ten Thousand Fists”, and of course “Down With The Sickness”) and new songs off of “Indestructible” (title track, “Inside The Fire”, “The Night”, and “Criminal”). I love everything they’ve put out so far, so it worked well. I was disappointed because David Draiman looked like he was going through the motions for most of the set. Maybe it was a bad night or they’re a little worn at this point of the tour. He’d walk to one side of the stage, walk to the other, walk behind Mike (drums), and do it over again, ; very little spontaneity outside of a couple of breaks between the songs with his stage banter. I know that if he wasn’t in Disturbed that he might have gone to law school, but he could have been a preacher as well with the rock sermons he was giving the crowd. All in all, they had a good set. I was just guilty of high expectations and thinking they could outdo Killswitch Engage. They get a solid B on the night.
Disturbed
All in all, this was a great experience and an awesome show. Overall I give the entire experience an A- with quite a few A moments, so let’s say 4 out of 5 stars. Between the tattoo artists (Hart & Huntington, Intense Creations, Oliver Peck, etc.), the vendors, and the bands, it’s one show that I won’t soon forget, as you can tell by my earlier reminiscing. (Damn, only 72 hours ago we were just getting to our seats!) For the price of the concert, it’s well worth the EIGHT HOURS of music, vendors, tattoos, and everything else. Sell your soul to rock n’ roll for a day and GO!
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Visit the Music as a Weapon tour Website
For live photos from Music as a Weapon tour visit our gallery
Ace Enders & a Million Different People – When I Hit the Ground
February 5, 2009 by Justin
Filed under CD Reviews
Rating: 
Ace Enders & a Million Different People
When I Hit the Ground
Drive-Thru/Vagrant Records
Reviewed by: Justin
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Damone – Roll the Dice
January 5, 2009 by Justin
Filed under CD Reviews
Rating: 
Damone
Roll the Dice
Reviewed by: Justin
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Saliva – Cinco Diablo
December 23, 2008 by Justin
Filed under CD Reviews
Rating: 
Saliva
Cinco Diablo
Island/Def Jam Records
Reviewed by: Justin
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Butch Walker – Sycamore Meadows
November 1, 2008 by Justin
Filed under CD Reviews
Rating: 
Butch Walker
Sycamore Meadows
Original Signal Recordings
Reviewed by: Justin
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Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony
June 23, 2008 by Justin
Filed under CD Reviews
Alkaline Trio
Agony & Irony
Epic Records
Rating:
Reviewed by: Justin
Alkaline Trio is back with their sixth studio album titled Agony & Irony, set to drop on July 1st. People will see this album further evolve the Chicago trio into a well-established pop punk band. That’s what this album sounds like – they’re not a “punk” band anymore and it’s not your classic Trio, and that’s OK.
That was one of the concerns that I’ve heard from fans of the band – that they would change their style being on a major label. This is not the case and this album is another step in the evolution of the Trio trio. Their sound has matured throughout the years and they’ve been able to keep it fresh from album to album as more and more people are getting into them (and they should).
This is one of the bittersweet things about a band as they evolve. They gain more listeners this way, but it may drive away old listeners as well. Talking to fans of the band, I’ve heard both sides of it, although the listeners that get pissed off by the band becoming more popular are in the minority. It’s an argument that’s never made much sense to me. Just as you’ve changed from 10 years ago and don’t wear the same clothes you used to wear, your favorite bands are going to inevitably evolve as well. If you’re a fan of the BAND, you go along for the ride and enjoy the band’s evolution. If you’re a fan of one SONG or ALBUM of the band, you’ll probably stay in the past and cry about their evolution. Anyway… /rant
Agony & Irony is filled with fantastic songs that will really grow on you. “Calling All Skeletons” is a great start to the album and gets your attention right away. Next you have “Help Me” and “In Vein”, which fans have already been able to hear on the EP or on the band’s Myspace page. I really dig these songs, and “Help Me” is one of those catchy songs that grows on you, but in my opinion, these aren’t even the best songs on the album!
Track #4 “Over And Out” is my favorite song after the first few spins of A&I. With strong vocal emphasis on this song, and about death and loss, this track is lyrically excellent with a chorus that will go over well in a live setting. Lines like “Over and out he sighed / It seems I’ve run out of time / Please tell my wife I loved her more than life itself” show that the band’s trademark lyrical style hasn’t changed.
Another highlight is “Lost & Rendered”, especially the chorus, which will undoubtedly be an excellent live song as well. It starts out heavy and the guitars are stronger on this track than others. Along with “Over And Out”, I’m really digging this song and have been playing it repeatedly for the last 16 minutes or so, which at 3:23 in length means I’ve played this song about… oh well, math wasn’t my strong suit anyway.
Overall, I think fans will be impressed by the consistency of this album. This is one of the few albums that I’ve been able to listen to all the way through. While I had a couple of favorite songs mentioned above, when you listen to the album, none of them really stand out and grab you. It’s a very consistent album from start to finish. You know how it is with some bands. The first 2 or 3 songs on the album are the “hits” and the rest of the album sounds like it was just included to fill up the CD. That’s another one of those good/bad things about an album. In this case for Alkaline Trio, it was a good thing… you won’t find much filler on Agony & Irony.
This is an album that will go over great in a live setting, so check out the tour dates below. So log off the int3rw3bz, postpone playing World of Warcraft for a few hours, and go out and catch a good rock show! Otherwise pick up Agony & Irony when it hits a store near you… unless you’re one of those people who never leave your apartment. In that case, hop on iTunes and download it.
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