One year ago former I Am Ghost frontman Steven Juliano fronted Epitaph Record’s most talked about bands over the course of their 6 year career. During which they got signed to Epitaph one year after their formation, got their jump start from their EP ‘We Are Always Searching” which sprung three studio albums 2006′s “Lovers’ Requiem”, 2008’s “Those We Leave Behind”, and 2009′s “LIVE in Orange County”. Things were running in accordance to the band’s success factor and everything they had gained would soon be lost. One year after their live LP was released in 2009, Juliano would break the news of the band’s departure. According to him he says…

Phoenix Arizonans’ The Attitude got their start in 2005 following their formation two years later their debut EP “Straight To The Middle” struck and then touring commenced. Once that was said and done the band went off to write and record material for their follow-up a brand new EP titled “Dance Fuck Suicide”. This EP was 4 years in the making and now that it’s been completed the results are flawless. “Dance Fuck Suicide” is a continuation of “Straight To The Middle” on this release the album includes 4 album tracks “Burn”, and “Like Rats”, which had been previously demoed but never released until now. While “Dance Fuck Suicide”, “Own…

Literally, playing. Backstage. On a make-shift basketball court. And it’s a good thing we found a sturdy stick to replace part of the hoop that was busted or none of what you’re about to read would have been published. Usually post-coverage for a major event such as the 2011 Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival will encompass a little bit of everything from the show. But in Tampa, Florida, coverage was left up to how many times a ball went through a hoop. While doing an interview with Black Tide drummer Steven Spence, my research prior to yapping with the 23 year-old revealed the guys out of Miami, Florida bring a…

We have frequently compared compilation albums to history textbooks. Both keep the dated information they harbor relevant from one generation to the next. Cover albums also serve a similar role, but we find their impact on society to be much more influential than that of “greatest hits” albums. These cover tunes prove that music is constantly on the move, but the sounds defined by past artists are never left behind. The lyrics and basic melodies of these songs remind us of the original bands that wrote them, but listeners can also hear beats and vocals that resemble music of the current decade. A single physical object can radiate magic from…

The 21st Century has just given birth to another genre of music. Yes, it is true that most of these new categories are combinations of pre-existing ones, but as long as the sound flips our stomachs and releases a different emotion we have yet to experience, then that catalyst deserves a title. So, say hello to the brand new music classification, groovy-pop. For those of us, who wished we could have been born in the true counterculture era, rather than the poser society we live in today, this genre shows that elements of the 60s and the 70s are not as long gone as we think. Who might the current…

Fearless Vampire Killer’s as the name goes the band’s portrayal is vampiresque. As such these five-some pop death punks have provided a tale all of their own. That goes with the release of their debut EP “In Grandomina…” Frontman Laurence Beveridge had written a novel Ruple & Evelyn and according to him the songs were based on personal experiences but illustrated in a fictional setting that is further explained in the novel. Nevertheless, that tale of the beginning has continued forth with a new chapter titled “The Blood Never Dries”. This follow-up EP comes with a set of tunes that resemble that of its previous release but this variety enhances…

We often think hard rock and metal music are no boundary genres. This assumption is primarily due to the musician stereotype of the 80s and 90s, where the more drugs and alcohol consumed, the harder the artist rocked. Well, those decades are long gone and rock and metal music are now becoming “fence free” for the right reasons. These grounds involve a band’s limitless sound, not their drug supply. We tip our hats off to Black Tide for affirming the previous statement with their sophomore release, “Post Mortem”. We have been following the Florida quartet’s “Post Mortem” journey for quite some time and have been relaying the information to you…

Japan has been stricken with catastrophic proportions since March’s earth and tsunami incident, Dir En Grey has taken these occurrences and infused it within “Dum Spiro Spero”. The album appeals to all when you look at it, it upholds the ups and downs that make a Dir En Grey release, as such the mellow dramatic and heaviness that has always been there since 97 remains no doubts about it. But instead of having an obsessive amount of screaming rants again and again there is a variety of clean vocals that are sung and its quite surprising to say the least. Kyo’s vocals make the music what it is while Kaoru…

A behind – and in front – of the scenes look at Vans Warped Tour (there’s plenty more, too). Photos courtesy of Stephanie Byrne. Attempts at comedic captions by Joe Belcastro: Be sure to read part 1, part 2 and part 3 of the ShockYa Chronicles: A Day at the Vans Warped Tour 2011.

Now at this point in the WT journey, my professional-self was turning off for a bit and my personal interests started to take control of where I wanted to go next. Although journalism isn’t the most financially rewarding industry these days, it does come equipped with a ton of perks. It was nearly 4 p.m. and the one band that really caught my attention that I was going to see no matter who asked to do an interview – my sincere apologies to “Shut Up & Deal” – was “Black Veil Brides”. The benefits of having a press pass is that Warped Tour allows one to go right up to…