The Student Voice

Categorized in | A&E, Detour

Heavy metal tide rolls in

By Alyssa Wejebe
Published: September 21, 2010

Flashback to 2007′s Ozzfest, the annual metal rock American tour founded by heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. Second stage festival sponsor and alcohol manufacturer, Jagermeister intended to remove Miami-based band Black Tide from the bill because the band, comprised of members from 14 to 19 years old at the time, was under the legal drinking age of 21.

Black Tide manager Cory Brennan made an appeal to festival sponsor Live Nation and Sharon Osbourne, Ozzfest’s chief executive. Black Tide was bumped to the main stage where the stage’s sponsor did not sell alcoholic beverages.

Since then, Black Tide has continued to move up in the music industry. They've toured with All That Remains, Bullet for My Valentine and Avenged Sevenfold. Signed with Interscope Records, Black Tide released their debut album, Light from Above, in 2008.

Rolling Stone named Black Tide "Metal's New Teen Titans" and one of the "Best Rookies of 2008.” Black Tide is currently on tour with Drive A, Escape the Fate and Bullet for My Valentine. The last stop on their tour is Oct. 27 at the Palladium in Hollywood.

Black Tide bassist Zakk Sandler, 20, said people can expect older tracks from their first record to be played at the Palladium. He added that the band will also probably play new songs from their upcoming album with an expected release date sometime next year.

"The process (for recording the new album) has been over the last year,” Sandler said. “We started writing last September (or) October and, I think, while it took us longer to get a record done this time around…we tracked this record ridiculously fast. We took our time on the vocals, because it takes time to get that perfect.”

Dozens of songs were written, but Sandler said only 14 songs were recorded and 10 will be on the album.

"We chopped a lot (and) kept only the very best," Sandler said. "Some of (the songs) didn't completely come to fruition while we were writing them."

Light from Above has had positive reception among Black Tide fans.

“‘Shockwave’ is a really catchy song, while ‘Black Abyss’ is kind of a hidden gem on (Light from Above),” said Devan Pierce, 18, of Uniontown, Pa.

Black Tide has played at a book reading of James Frey, who asked them to play at his book reading. A riot between Frey’s fans and Black Tide’s fans broke out.

Black Tide has had less explosive interactions with literature before, as their songwriting is sometimes influenced by books.

"We take influence from everything and everybody ? doesn't even necessarily have to be music," Sandler said.

Angelica Brown, 20, of Detroit, Ill, said she liked Black Tide because they're her generation's Metallica and Megadeth.

"They don't hold back or try to fit into a genre that could land them on the radio," Brown said. "Instead, they play with passion and are sincere."



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