Trivium – So unless you’ve been under a top-40 rock for the last few years, you no doubt know of this Orlando (what’s going on in Florida?) band. Rising to metal ascendancy with their 2006 release The Crusade (peaking at #25 in the billboard 200), Trivium, is not so quietly making a name for themselves. Starting around 4 pm, a fair amount of the concertgoers had made their way to their seats to take in the act. Lead singer, Matt Heafy (I’m sure he’s tired of hearing this) bears a striking resemblance to Metallica’s guitarist Kirk Hammett but that’s where the similarities end. As with fellow Orlando breathern, Trivium has a heavy Maiden influence… oh wait, that’s what’s going on it Florida.

Hellyeah – What do you get when you cross Lynyrd Skynyrd with Nashville Pussy? Hellyeah - southern metal at its finest. Ok, to try and label this super-group with such a moniker is probably a discredit but I mean it as high compliment – these guys rocked. Jumping between main stage and second stage meant I didn’t get to hear as much as I would have liked, but in that “list” I mentioned before, the members of Pantera, Damageplan, Mudvayne, and Nothingface now known as Hellyeah made number two.

Flyleaf – Beautiful young lady does metal… oh wait Evanescence comes later, this is Flyleaf. But seriously, not to take anything away from Flyleaf, this band is certainly worth the price of admission. I swear, lead singer Lacey Mosley is an enchantress of Bjork caliber only crunchy guitars and pounding drum lines back up this chanteuse. Probably the oddest fit on the bill, Flyleaf come across more alt-rock then metal to me though the band had no problems with an audience ready to turn it up to eleven.

Atreyu – Allright, so I’ll admit I originally had misgivings about a band who named themselves after a character in a movie I grew up with. That said, there’s nothing fleeting about this Orange County, Calif. outfit. Like Trivium, you’ve been living in a cave if you haven’t at least heard of this band who put on a show worthy of their stature.

Article Author: Benjamin Cossel

A working journalist, Benjamin currently serves as a combat photojournalist and is the managing editor of a weekly newspaper in southeastern Wyoming. He’s worked as a reporter in Ohio, Arizona and done several deployments in the military crossing the globe. …

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