Reckless Fest 2013

It was a long but exciting day in Lancaster, PA at Reckless Fest II on November 2, 2013. Freedom Hall was divided by two different stages in which bands played one right after another throughout the duration of the day. The line-up consisted of both local and national acts of all types. The crowd was full of dedicated fans; kids and adults of all ages.

Front man of local act known as, Cyanide Sunrise, did a backflip off the drum riser during the band’s performance; which was definitely one of the most impressive things from the side stage all day. A Scent Like Wolves closed out the side stage with a killer performance including a song in which they created their official music video My Heart On Ice.

The Main stage line up consisted of Fit For A King, The Plot In You, I Wrestled A Bear Once, Upon a Burning Body, Emmure, For Today, All That Remains, Sevendust, and headlining act, Asking Alexandria.

As Fit For A King began, fans were still entering the building and just beginning to fill out the venue, which was unfortunate because many people missed their amazing performance.

The Plot in You was up next and the band’s creativity as far as stage props and performance goes was intriguing- the mic stand specifically, as lead vocalist, Landon Tewers utilized a live human body at the base of his mic stand. Before their set, we briefly met up with singer Courtney LaPlante where we discussed the joined progress the band has made since the first time she performed as their vocalist. LaPlante expressed that while she enjoyed picking up where former vocalist Krysta Cameron left off, she is ecstatic to be able to perform her own songs.

Upon A Burning Body is a metal band hailing from San Antonio, Texas. The band graced the stage in their usual classy attire, throwing up their horns and showing their Texas pride as fans joined and showed their support. They played a variety of catchy songs from Desperado to Texas Blood Money, closing out their set with fan anticipated Sin City.

Some consider them Deathcore, metalcore, and even rapcore but in reality, Attila is just heavy party music! Lead vocalist Chris Fronzak or ‘Fronz’ took the stage with his middle finger in the air, rocking a gold studded hat, boots, and matching sunglasses causing the energy in the room to skyrocket instantly.

Emmure is a band associated with the genres deathcore, metal core, and nu-metal. The guys are said to be originally from Connecticut but currently residing in New York. It’s hard not to think of New York, when front man Frankie Palmeri is constantly sporting his classic Yankee fitted! The guys played a variety of songs including Solar Flare Homicide, Sunday Bacon, I Thought You Met Telly…, R2deepthroat, and When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong.

For Today is a band that continues to get more and more impressive with every performance. For Today is one of the most genuine, kind hearted, talented and courageous bands you will ever meet. This is true, especially when it comes to the heavy music scene today. They stand firm in what they believe and care enough to share it with the rest of the world, whether they want to hear it or not. The band tore up the stage and shook the venue with their incredible performance and powerful words. It’s hard to find bands that live what they preach or express on stage but the guys and their personal attitudes are no different. Despite being mocked or ridiculed for sharing their beliefs as expressed in the For Today song Foundation, it is evident that they “Will not be moved.”

All That Remains is a band many fans had been anticipating all day. Finally it was time for the lady and gentlemen to take the stage. The band’s set list was a great mix and consisted of: Down Through The Ages; This Calling; Stand Up; Now Let Them Tremble; For We Are Many; Asking Too Much; What If I Was Nothing?; Hold On; Six; and Two Weeks. The crowd threw their fists in the air as they sang along to their favorite All That Remains lyrics. The Crowd participation was incredible; It was neat to see a room full of fans holding up their lighters and cellphones to What If I Was Nothing? as they sang their hearts out. The amount of talent in this band is unreal, and it was a pleasure having the opportunity to experience it all again.

Sevendust is everything and more than what die-hard fans had led them up to be. The band put on a killer performance at Reckless Fest that night engaging fans all over the board. With the guitarist pointing and smiling out into the crowd, the lead singer smiling and waving, at the fans and photographers, the bands set was an all around pleasant and positive experience. Having not seen the band before, and not knowing what to expect, they surely left quite an impression.

Asking Alexandria is perceived to be an English “Metalcore” band from the UK consisting of some of the most free spirited, fun and all around talented musicians you will come across. The tech crew as well, hardworking and dedicated to the band’s pristine performance. The light show was incredible; beams of light extending out into the crowd, co2 and all, with perfect timing. Between the lights, and overall stage set up with stairs on each side of the elevated drummer riser, the production even more insane! Everything about this band’s performance is just phenomenal. It’s amazing how far the band has come since their first performance in Lancaster, PA. They performed a range of great songs including, Don’t Pray For Me; To The Stage; A Prophecy; and long time fan favorite, The Final Episode. Their stage performance was off the charts! Every part of the stage was accounted for, heads were banging from every direction, and fans were screaming along at the top of their lungs. The crowd went wild, crowd surfers coming in from every angle, fans throwing their hands in the air and flailing their bodies into each other. With a performance like that we strongly recommend that you catch one of the dates left of the Death To Destiny tour and experience this band live. You won’t be disappointed.