Tri-State Rock - Latest Updates

North Carolina prog-metal legends-in-the-making Between The Buried And Me have released the video for "Astral Body" off their highly-anticipated new LP, "The Parallax II: Future Sequence", this morning via AlternativePress. Check it out by following this link.

The video keeps with the space-related imagery that the record and its EP predecessor have been building upon and gives a unique insight into the progressing storyline that carries through both records. Likely to be the shortest BTBAM video you'll ever see, "Astral Body" defiantly crams so much rich imagery that by the time you watch it 5 times to get a solid grasp on the concept, you'll have spent as much time with it as you would most 'regular' length BTBAM tracks. 

Let me preface this review by saying I am an 80's kid through and through but I came of age in the 90's and that decade is responsible for every bit of influence music has had on my life. I fondly remember watching MTV for hours absorbing every second of every video (yes they did once actually play videos) and sitting with my finger on the record button of the vcr every time a new video premiered so I could watch it again and again. Needless to say I have a deep love for all the music of that era but from 95-99 more than anything. 

I have been waiting for 90's music to make a come back for years now since the turn of the century has with a few notable exceptions been dismal for ears around the world to say the least. When the Summerland Tour was announced earlier this year it was like a prayer had finally been answered. 

For many fans it’s tough waiting for a new album from one of your favorite bands.  For Tool fans, it’s already been six years and counting waiting for the iconic band’s new album.  The band’s last album, ’10,000 Days,’ was released in 2006, and Tool fans have been mentally pacing in circles, awaiting a taste of new material from their psychedelic heroes. Luckily, drummer Danny Carey has offered an update on where Tool are in their writing process.

Rock Vegas powered by Rockstar Energy Drink is Sin City's Loudest Two-Day Rock Music Festival.   The Sin City Festival is set for two sin-filled days, Friday, September 28 and Saturday, September 29 at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. The two-day rockextravaganza will feature performances from Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Marilyn Manson, and Godsmack, plus Staind, Stone Sour, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Adelitas Way, All That Remains, P.O.D., Art Of Dying, Redlight King, New Medicine, Deuce, Otherwise and more. Tickets are affordably priced as low as $39 each, plus fees. Two-day and single-day tickets go on sale Saturday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. VIP packages will also be available.

Godsmack's Shannon Larkin says, "The lineup is incredible for any rock fan, and the stage and sound system will be massive! Add to that the location, Las Vegas... What more could you ask for! This is gonna be HUGE! Get your party boots on and come to the biggest spectacle in the country! You won't regret it. Vegas, baby!!!"

For many fans, hearing that one of your favorite band is having a contest, is like being a kid again.  You get the rare chance to earn a special reward for your dedication and recognition as a loyal and supportive fan.  It gives the fans something to look forward to and creates yet another way for fans to connect with each other and the band that they mutually respect.

Stone Sour has created a very unique and super fun contest for fans to participate in at the Rockstar Enegry Drink Mayhem Festival.  The contest has been organized like a scavenger hunt, with fans searching for special envelopes with clues at the most recent stops of the Mayhem Festival.  The envelopes contain drumsticks, guitar pick sets and a page of lyrics from their upcoming album, handwritten by Corey Taylor.  One of the clue envelopes is pictured below: