Word and Live Photos: DJ
Myglobalmind and Screaming Digital Productions
The Georgia sun showed no mercy on June 24th, with temperatures soaring past 100 degrees and humidity thick enough to cut with a knife. But if you thought the oppressive heat would dampen the spirits of metalcore faithful packed into Lakewood Amphitheatre, you clearly underestimated the dedication of Atlanta’s heavy music devotees. What unfolded was an eight-hour marathon of sonic brutality—eight bands, starting at 3pm sharp, transforming the venue into a sweltering festival of metalcore mayhem.
For someone who spent years dismissing metalcore as overly formulaic noise, I found myself in an unexpected place: genuinely excited for this day-long celebration of everything heavy and aggressive in modern rock. The last few years have seen my playlists increasingly dominated by the likes of Parkway Drive and Architects—bands that have evolved far beyond the genre’s early limitations. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching these acts mature from underground sensations to arena-filling forces, sharing stages with legends like Metallica. Maybe it’s age creeping in, or maybe it’s simply losing patience with humanity’s daily grind, but sometimes you just need pure, unfiltered aggression channeled through precision musicianship. Welcome to Summer of Loud, indeed.
This was an endurance test disguised as entertainment, a day-long celebration that began as the afternoon sun beat down mercilessly on the amphitheater. Fans arrived early, knowing they were witnessing something that transcended the typical evening show format. The early crowd looked like walking casualties at just 3pm, sweat already beading on foreheads as they shuffled through security and found their spots. TX2 and Alpha Wolf had the thankless task of “warming up” an audience that was already melting, yet both bands attacked their opening slots with admirable determination. TX2’s youthful energy bounced against the heat like a futile but endearing battle cry, while Alpha Wolf’s Australian heaviness provided a preview of the Antipodean assault to come later. If anything, watching these openers fight against both the elements and early-show indifference only highlighted the sheer audacity of scheduling eight bands in Georgia’s summer furnace.
The Devil Wears Prada kicked things off with Ohio metalcore precision, Mike Hranica’s guttural screams on “Watchtower” and “Danger: Wildman” serving as the perfect spiritual warfare against the oppressive heat, while Jeremy DePoyster’s soaring cleans provided moments of melodic reprieve. The Amity Affliction followed with their brand of Australian emotional hardcore, delivering crushing anthems like “Pittsburgh” and the devastatingly honest “All My Friends Are Dead,” each song hitting with the weight of personal confession amplified through stadium-sized riffs.
By the time Parkway Drive took the stage- first on this particular line up as they rotate headliners each city, the Australian heavyweights had already proven why they’ve ascended from Byron Bay basement shows to headlining Download Festival. Winston McCall’s opening roar during “Glitch” felt like a battle cry against both the oppressive heat and the weight of everyday existence. Since 2003, Parkway Drive has consistently pushed metalcore’s boundaries, evolving from scrappy hardcore kids to symphonic metal architects without losing their crushing core. Their delivery of “Vice Grip” and the emotionally devastating “Crushed” hit with sledgehammer force in the sweltering Georgia night, while “Prey” unleashed something approaching the spiritual—thousands of sweat-soaked bodies moving as one, united in their need for this exact kind of musical exorcism.
I Prevail took the stage carrying the weight of recent upheaval—the departure of founding vocalist Brian Burkheiser still fresh—but Eric Vanlerberghe’s commanding presence proved the band’s resilience. What started as a viral Taylor Swift cover in 2014 has morphed into one of metalcore’s most reliable juggernauts, and their performance of “Bow Down” and “Bad Things” created the kind of massive sing-alongs that separate arena acts from club bands. When they dropped “Blank Space” in the blazing afternoon sun, it served as both nostalgic callback and proof that sometimes the most unexpected moments hit hardest.
Beartooth’s moment arrived with all the cathartic fury that has made Caleb Shomo one of modern metal’s most compelling voices. Since emerging from his basement studio in 2013 as a one-man project born from personal darkness, Beartooth has evolved into something approaching a spiritual experience. Shomo’s journey from Attack Attack! burnout to metalcore savior is written into every scream, and when he delivered “The Lines” and the anthemic “I Was Alive” in that sweltering Georgia heat, it felt like collective therapy for thousands of sweat-drenched souls seeking their own surface above the depression.
Killswitch Engage’s arrival felt like witnessing living history. Jesse Leach, the band’s original and current vocalist, commanded the stage with the authority of someone who helped birth an entire genre. Since their 2000 emergence from Western Massachusetts, KsE has remained the gold standard for melodic metalcore, and hearing “Rose of Sharyn” and “My Curse” delivered with 25 years of road-tested precision was a reminder of why they’ve outlasted countless imitators. Every note carried the weight of genre-defining legacy, each breakdown a masterclass in controlled chaos.
What followed was eight hours of proof that sometimes the best shows are forged in fire—literally.
SUMMER OF LOUD TOUR:
6/21 — West Palm Beach, FL — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
6/22 — Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/24 — Atlanta, GA — Lakewood Amphitheatre
6/26 — Dallas, TX — Dos Equis Pavillion
6/27 — Austin, TX — Germania Insurance Amphitheater
6/28 — Houston, TX _ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
7/1 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
7/2 — San Diego, CA — Gallagher Square at Petco Park
7/5 — Irvine, CA — Great Park Live
7/6 — Concord, CA — Toyota Pavilion at Concord
7/8 — Salt Lake City, UT — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
7/9 — Denver, CO — The JunkYard
7/11 — Somerset, WI — Somerset Amphitheater
7/12 — Green Bay, WI — Capital Credit Union Park
7/13 — Tinley Park, IL — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
7/15 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
7/16 — Clarkston, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre
7/18 — Mansfield, OH — Inkcarceration*
7/19 — York, PA — York State Fair*
7/20 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
7/22 — Mansfield, MA — Xfinity Center
7/23 — Camden, NJ — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
7/24 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center
7/26 — Bristow, VA — Jiffy Lube Live
7/27 — Charlotte, NC — PNC Music Pavilion
*Festival
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