Welcome To Rockville

It has finally arrived! The final gallery of coverage from this year’s Welcome To Rockville festival. As I have said before, it was a hell of an experience and I’m really grateful that I was able to be among the music outlets that covered the event. I am definitely looking forward to next year’s festival in hopes that I may once again cover it for the site. Without further ado, here are the final photos that I have from the event along with a few words.

Motionless In White

Following Starset’s performance, I took a moment to cool down and re-hydrate before making my way over to the Jack Daniel’s Main Stage to catch Motionless In White. The Pennsylvania metalcore outfit was well-received by the crowd, which no doubt fueled the band to deliver a stellar performance.

Butcher Babies

I didn’t stay too long at the main stage in order to catch another band that is fast becoming one of the most popular acts in metal. Butcher Babies came on strong and were relentless in their assault, with a performance that was as tight as it was cathartic. The Los Angeles quintet – who will be releasing their sophomore effort later this year – always give it 100% when on stage.

In This Moment

Up next was In This Moment on the Monster Main Stage, another band hailing from the West Coast that is currently thriving in the rock scene. The band are currently out supporting their latest and most successful album to date, Black Widow; off of which half of their eight-song set stemmed from. The band have certainly transcended from being simply another rock act to become a rather theatrical experience. I would love to see them on a headlining tour as I’m sure they have much more to offer when doing a full set.

Hatebreed

It was back to the side stage to catch one of my personal favorites, Connecticut hardcore metallers Hatebreed. Another band that never fails to disappoint live, the band received a thunderous welcome before they proceeded to devastate the audience with their brand of metal-infused hardcore.

In Flames

Swedish melodic death metallers In Flames carried on next on the Jägermeister Stage to give fans a varied set that spanned the majority of their studio releases.

All That Remains

Closing the side stages was Massachusetts metalcore veteran act All That Remains, who like many of the acts that preceded them, received a very warm welcome. This undoubtedly fueled them as they went on to give an outstanding performance full of energy that drove the crowd wild.

Slipknot

As the day drew to a close the entire crowd gathered at the Monster Main Stage to bear witness to one of the best live bands of the new millennium, Slipknot. Currently out supporting their latest album, .5: The Gray Chapter, the masked Iowa madmen went on to do what they do best: entertain. The set kicked off with the first two tracks off their new album “XIX” and “Sarcastrophe” and was non-stop from there on out. Like many of the bands supporting new releases, the better part of the set was made up of new songs with select cuts from previous records. Despite having been subjected to hot weather for almost twelve hours, fans were reinvigorated, as wave after wave of crowd surfers passed me by and pits opened up all-around as well. This goes to show any naysayers that Slipknot are still a force to be reckoned with.

NOTE: Being given the opportunity to cover this event is a milestone for me and I cannot express how privileged I feel to have been granted this opportunity.