On November 14th, Vended played a wicked show at the up-and-coming venue Hop Springs Beer Park in Murfreesboro, TN. With stellar opening acts from Glasswalker and Reptilian, last Tuesday did not disappoint.
First of all. BIG ol' shoutout to the staff and security at Hop Springs Beer Park. Very friendly and welcoming. I look forward to shooting at this venue again. I'm excited to see this venue grow and flourish into a big-time music spot!
Glasswalker, a metal band from Bowling Green, KY, formed in 2021. It consists of Sven Dugandzija on vocals, Trey Lyon on guitars, Ryan Shoopman on Drums, and Brandon Taylor on Bass. The band played a five-song set. They started the show with their banger of a song "Grey Matter".
The band is melodic yet heavy. My favorite song of the set was "Weapon of Choice", which seemed to also be a crowd favorite, based on how insane the mosh pit got.
I hadn't heard of this band before but I'm sold!
P.S. If you get a chance to see them. Please do! They're a load of fun :) They're playing a show at The End, here in Nashville on 11/20
You can find the Glasswalker HERE!
Nashville-based doom metal band Reptillian took the stage next. Composed of Chris Stark on rhythm guitar and vocals, Jake Kinsch on lead guitar and vocals, Robert Calandriello on bass, and Zack Montgomery on drums. Their vocalist has a very unique voice. The band played 7 songs, opening with "Price of Hatred". Their use of Alex Jones samples and other right-wing extremists as transitions was both hilarious and disorienting. I wasn't quite sure what we had gotten ourselves into. Thankfully enough, they were poking fun.
I don't think the moshpit ever stopped moving. The energy in the room was palpable, and it was impossible not
to get swept up in the chaos. Hell, my camera got whacked around a bit from the pit. I loved the song "Fleshcutters" from their most recent album: "Heat Death". I couldn't stop myself from putting my camera down to headbang along with the other fans!
You can find Reptillian HERE
HOLY SHIT. VENDED KICKED ASS.
This five-piece metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, has come to destroy and dominate the world. It consists of Griffin Taylor on vocals, Connor Grodzicki and Cole Espeland
on guitars, JJ Pugh on bass, and Simon Crahan on drums. I've been itching to see them live since the release of their debut EP: "What Is It/Kill It". Last Tuesday was a dream come true.
Ripping open their set with their single "Ded to Me" the crowd went CRAZY!
Grod and Cole are both fantastic guitarists. Every breakdown was brutal and every solo was electric. JJ's basslines are effective and perfectly complement the two guitars. The three are extremely talented and a force to be reckoned with.
Griffin Taylor is the perfect frontman for this band. His guttural vocals and his high energy-flaming rage stage persona is fantastic to watch. He gives his all. With his delivery of lyrics, you feel them. You can tell that he loves what he does. By the time the show was over, 99% of his face paint melted off.
VENDED pulled out a brand new song for this tour, called; "The Far Side". I won't spoil too much but I am head over heels for the new song. I can't WAIT for their next release. Studio release WHEN?
The final song of the night was Asylum. The second that kickass drum intro started, I felt my soul leave my body. Simon's drumming blew me out of the water. I LOVE this song so much that it's banned in my car. ( I HAVE to headbang. It's not exactly safe for other drivers. LOL )
As the final song finished, the band left the stage. The crowd roared for an encore. The lights flickered over a musical sting until they went out. What an amazing set!
You can find VENDED HERE
Again, thank you to Hop Springs staff and security and Vended's PR for having me. I am honored to have been able to photograph these bands. To make a long story short, every band that played was phenomenal. I can't wait to see them all again. If you're on the fence about seeing this tour, JUST DO IT. Although you won't be priveledged enough to see Glasswalker and Reptillian, you'll be supporting your own metal scene AND getting to see VENDED. It's a win-win situation.
Comments