In the rapidly growing U.S. festival scene, the ‘grandaddy of ’em all’ is arguably Rock On The Range. The festival takes place every May at Crew Stadium in Ohio, and this year – it’s been expanded from two days to three. This morning, the festival’s 2013 lineup was officially announced. The four headliner’s for the festivals first 3-day installment are Soundgarden, Korn, Alice In Chains, and the Smashing Pumpkins. A monster supporting cast includes Lamb of God, Bullet For My Valentine, Asking Alexandria, Volbeat, Otherwise, Halestorm, Clutch, Sevendust, Buckcherry, Black Veil Brides, A Day To Remember, Stone Sour, Papa Roach, In Flames, The Sword, Motionless In White, and many more. A very special addition to this year’s line-up are rock icons Cheap Trick. The festival is set to take place May 17, 18, 19 in Columbus, OH. Tickets are on-sale now at www.rockontherange.com.
Soundgarden exploded unto the mainstream with the release of their third album, 1991′s Badmotorfinger. The follow-up, 1994′sSuperunknown, catapulted the band to legendary status. Debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, the album has since been certified 5x platinum by the RIAA. The record earned the band two Grammy Awards in 1995, and today it still serves as a blueprint for heavy alternative rock music. Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 following the release of their 1996 effort, Down On The Upside. In 2010, the band reunited and issued their first greatest hits collection, Telephantasm. The album featured the previously unreleased single, “Black Rain”. In March 2011, the band released the live album, Live on I-5. This past spring, Soundgarden contributed a new single, “Live To Rise”, to the soundtrack of the blockbuster film The Avengers. The band’s first studio LP in 16 years, King Animal, came out on November 13, 2012. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200, and sold over 83,000 copies in it’s first week of sales.
In 1994, Korn released their self-titled debut album, revolutionizing metal and music as whole. They created a whole new sub-genre,
“nu-metal”, that fused traditional heavy metal with elements of alternative rock, grunge, and hip-hop. In the following decade, Korn would rule the airwaves. Topping the Billboard charts, garnering massive radio play, and consistently owning the #1 spot on MTV’s TRL, Korn became the biggest band in the world. The band has sold over 35 million records world-wide. The band has released ten studio albums, 8 of which have gone Top 10 on the Billboard Top 200 (five of them hit the Top 5). Eight of their albums have gone multi-platinum. They have been nominated for 7 Grammy’s, winning two of them, and 11 MTV Video Music Awards, winning 2 of them. Korn hit their peak when they released back-to-back masterpieces: 1998′s Follow The Leader and 1999′s Issues. Both albums hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Their last album, 2010′s Korn III: Remember Who You Are, hit #2. Korn are back on top of the music game with The Path of Totality, which hit #10 in Billboard.
Alice In Chains have enjoyed much success in recent years since their reformation in 2005. After playing a series of 1-offs with special guest vocalists, the band officially reformed with new vocalist William DuVall in 2008 and entered the studio to begin work on a new album. Much like contemporaries Soundgarden, it had been 14 years since AIC’s last studio effort. In 2009, Black Gives Way To Blue was released to much fan praise and critical acclaim. The record hit #5 on the Billboard Top 200, and garnered the band two Grammy Award nominations. Alice In Chains were one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 25 million albums worldwide throughout the decade. In 1992, the band released sophomore album, Dirt, which was critically acclaimed and has been certified quadruple platinum. Two of the band’s albums, Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains, both hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200. In total, Alice In Chains have received eight Grammy Award nominations throughout their career. The band will be dropping a new album in 2013. The record’s first single, “Hollow”, was released back 0n December 18, 2012.
The Smashing Pumpkins have sold nearly 20 million albums worldwide. The band’s breakthrough record, 1993’s Siamese
Dream. The album went on to be certified 6x platinum, and was ranked in #360 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time. The band’s 1995 double-disc follow-up, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. After two more LPs, the band broke up in 2000, and reunited 6 years later. In 2007, the Smashing Pumpkins made a triumphant return with their first album in 7 years, Zeitgeist, which hit #2 on the Billboard Top 200. In 2012, the band released Oceania, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200, and produced two hit singles. The band toured extensively on 2012, and have already begun work on a follow-up record, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, which is due out a little less than a year from now in December 2013. – By Matt Bishop
