Parking for this event was a zoo and by the time we arrived inside the venue, one of my favorite bands, Hail the Villain, had already finished their set and Crash Kings were right about in the middle of theirs. We had to run through the ever-growing crowd just to make it up to the front of the stage to catch what we could of their music. I really enjoy the Crash King’s live performances. They have good music and a great sound. The interaction and chemistry between the two brothers, Tony and Mike, and their good friend Jason Morris, is entertaining in its own right. They have a distinctive musical style that stands out in a brilliant way and I’m sure after their show, I wasn’t the only one putting some Crash King songs on my ipod! I wish we had been able to see more of their set. It seemed to end too quickly.

Smile Empty Soul was up next. I was very pleasantly surprised by this band. They reminded me of M&M’s, soft on the inside and hard on the outside. Their songs started out soft then hit you hard, knocking you back on your ass. I think they have a great future ahead of them in the music industry. They reminded me a mix between Mudvayne’s early years and Collective Soul’s greatest hits, with a touch of Nirvana and Puddle Of Mudd. Their song, “Don’t Need You”, from their album Anxiety, is a classic example. I’m keeping my eye on these guys. I cant wait for their new album release.

Next to hit the stage was A Day To Remember. They put on a pretty impressive show, jumping around the stage with energy levels that would make a three-year-old envious! The crowd was definitely pumped and surfing like their lives damn near depended on it. Singer Jeremy McKinnon screamed “Let’s make some noise!” The fans seemed only to happy to oblige as they sang along with the opening song. “Hands in the Fucking air!” Jeremy yelled, just as some smart ass decided to throw a flip flop onstage. McKinnon ran after it and flung it right back. Nice job! A Day To Remember definitely made sure that they were a band to remember as the audience surfed, screamed, sang, jumped, moshed and head-banged their way into near oblivion for their set. They certainly seemed like a hard act to follow but Halestorm was up next.

Lzzy, the lead singer for Halestorm, stepped out onstage wearing a red and black corset, ripped black leggings and a ripped black skirt. This was an outfit set to steal the show. She stepped up to the mic and started singing “Its Not You” acapella style. What a set of pipes on that girl! After showcasing her almost Joplin-like voice, the rest of the band, including Lzzy’s younger brother, Arejay, on drums, started jamming away, finishing up the song with gusto. I enjoyed watching yet another sibling band, simply because when they play off each other, it’s done in a way that no one but siblings could understand. Lzzy also turned up the heat with some fast fretwork that sounded almost as killer as her vocals. At one point I looked back into the crowd and noticed that all the males were too busy drooling over Lzzy to remember to mosh! A few girls were attempting to crowd surf, but again, the majority of them were too busy staring at Arejay, Joe and Josh. Halestorm had a tight set that sounded well-rehearsed.

It was time for All That Remains to take the stage. They are a great technical band with the ability to produce some amazing solos. They were easily one of the heaviest bands to play at the KROCKATHON this year. They kept things moving at a pretty fast pace while the crowd jammed and moshed euphorically. I loved the fretwork and riffs on the song “Forever In Your Hands”. Yes, I am aware of the comment made by the singer, Phil Labonte, in regards to it being a ‘girly’ type of song. I don’t care about that. Oli Herbert’s magical fingers blew that song a mile high and I loved it.

Following All That Remains was Ed Kowalczyk, former singer from Live. He had a full rock band along with him, as he performed some old Live hits along with his newer songs from his most recent album release, “Grace”. Before Ed graced stage his musicians came out first, giving him a nice little intro before he hit the mic. The first song was “All Over You” one of Live’s biggest hits. Next he sang a song from his new album called “Just in Time.” I thought that Ed’s voice sounded well-tuned and he did a good job performing. I also really enjoyed his backing band. They hit the music out of the park. The music is noticeably lighter than most of the previous bands, giving the crowd a nice chance to catch their breath from All That Remains’ intense set. Overall I think it was a good set and the crowd did respond well to it.

Hollywood Undead stormed the stage, amidst the screams and shrieks of star-struck fans. They really had the crowd by the balls, so to speak, as they rapped their way around the stage. They were a riot to watch. Each band member took turns with the electronic drum kit, keyboard and guitar, while having one constant member on drums and percussion the entire set. Everyone in this band is very versatile, talented and sincere musical artists, complete with controversial lyrical content. The fans were crazy for them! Song after song they sounded tight, sexy and made me an instant fan of the rock/rap genre. The girls in the crowd were screaming so much that I thought, at one point, somone’s lungs was going to explode! During the song, “City” the keyboardist jumped down from the high stage to surf the crowd as the fans shrieked and possibly even pissed themselves. For their song, “Young” they threw mardi gras beads to the audience. They closed their feisty set with “Everywhere I Go”.

The highly popular and beloved band Avenged Sevenfold was received an out-pouring of enthusiasm from their fans. One of the headliners for KROCKATHON 15, they came onstage with powerful vocals, fiery fretwork, elaborate drumming, lots of attitude, smoke machines, red and purple lights and dressed all in black. Behind them hung a black backdrop with three metal skull-heads on it. Due to an unthinkable tragedy regarding their long-time friend and drummer, The Rev, Dream Theater’s drummer, Mike Portnoy has been filling in and quite nicely, too. I enjoyed watching lead vocalist M. Shadows sing; when he screams his fierce vocals overwhelm him so he visibly shakes. It was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t help but be impressed. M. Shadows shouted to the audience, “I wanna hear you scream!” and they screamed so loud that it was difficult to hear the music. I noticed a lot interaction going on between each of the band members. Their great chemistry makes them that much stronger. Avenged Sevenfold sounded incredible and I was blown away by their technical skill and enduring persistence in the face of everything that they have had to deal with this past year. I believe their newest album, Nightmare, should wins lots of music awards!

Following Avenged Sevenfold was the second Headliner band for the night, Flyleaf. Lead vocalist Lacey Mosley came out and I didn’t know what to expect. She looked like a cute little Goth fairy out of some book of dark fairytales. She had the voice of a siren, dark, moody and mysterious. She could rip out some intense sound too when certain parts of a song called for it. One of my favorite songs of their set was the ever so popular “All Around Me”. I really enjoyed the high spirits and awesome energy of Flyleaf’s bass player, Pat Seals. During one song set he climbed atop the tallest cabinets and jumped off it. He continued with the amusing antics that complimented Lacey’s twirling and hopping around. Lacey had so much emotion when she sang you could just feel it. An excellent performance with one band left to finish up the night.