It may be the middle of the summer right now, but we’re still in the midst of festival season. And while it may not be solely metal, there’s no festival in the US with a bigger presence than Warped Tour. Now in its 22nd year, the tour boasts a lineup that includes punk, metal, hardcore, ska, alt, pop rock, and other genres. Rather than try to highlight all the heavy bands on this year’s lineup, I sought to capture the heaviest hitters on Warped Tour over the course of three hot days, in Hartford, CT, Scranton, PA, and Mansfield, MA in the photos and text below.
EVERY TIME I DIE
If you go to Warped Tour this year and skip seeing Every Time I Die, you are doing yourself a disservice. These Buffalo, NY natives are one of the most ridiculous live bands on the tour and certainly the most energetic metal act. Whether you’re a longtime ETID fan or a newcomer, there’s plenty to like in their set, which included newer tracks “Moor” and “Thirst,” from 2014’s From Parts Unknown, but was mostly comprised of fan-favorite oldies such as “Floater,” “We’rewolf,” “No Son of Mine,” and “Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space.” As a longtime ETID fan this was a great set, but it would’ve been cool to see them play their first single “The Coin Has Its Say” off of their just-announced full-length, Low Teens (due out in September this year).
IN HEARTS WAKE
One of the most surprisingly good acts I saw this year was Australian metalcore act In Hearts Wake. These guys were really tight during their performance in Hartford, CT, but it was their on-stage antics that made them really fun to watch. Their set mostly featured older fan-favorite tracks from 2014’s Earthwalker, though they did play “Refuge” from their split with fellow Australian metallers Northlane titled Equinox, which was released back in April this year. Definitely a band worth catching if you’re hanging around the Monster stage this year!
WHITECHAPEL
Knoxville’s finest, Whitechapel, are another Monster Stage band that merit your attention at Warped this year. Fresh off the release of their latest full length Mark of the Blade this past June, the band’s set features “Elitist Ones” and “Mark of the Blade” from the new record, but is otherwise built from tracks off the previous release Our Endless War (2014), and fan-favorites from 2008’s This Is Exile, “Eternal Refuge” and “Possession.” As a longtime fan it was cool to see Whitechapel still playing older tracks, especially given the brevity of the typical Warped Tour set. As I witnessed in Hartford, CT and Mansfield, MA, their performance is tight as ever and is a good teaser for what fans can expect at their recently announced co-headlining tour with Suicide Silence this fall.
