With Halloween quickly approaching, we thought it would be fun to play a little dress up. No, not with slutty nurse costumes, colorful face paint or spooky monster masks. Instead, we chose five Warped Tour bands and reimagined them as modern-day counterparts to classic rock icons.
After looking though a handful of acts, we drew up certain characteristics and then compared them to bands of the 70’s and 80’s. Thus, making them modern-day versions of the older bands (don’t worry, it’ll make sense as you scroll through). Now, if for any reason you decide not to agree with our picks, remember this is our imagination, not yours. But, if you must get your opinion out, you can find us on Twitter @thenoise.
Black Veil Brides // KISS
We wanted to start with this pick as we think it is the most obvious. Black Veil Brides may not rock their black and white make-up on stage anymore, but it doesn’t take a genius to see their early similarities to KISS. Since the start of BVB, frontman Andy Biersack hasn’t been afraid to admit that his band was directly influenced by the hard rock quartet out of New York City. Biersack even told one interviewer that he started BVB as a “modern-day KISS” after he was introduced to the rock icons’ music at an early age. So we guess it’s safe to say that’s why BVB decided to do a cover of KISS’s “Unholy" on their Rebels EP back in 2011.
Dance Gavin Dance // Van Halen
Van Halen is a band defined by kickass guitar work, big 80’s hair and one of the most famous frontman changes of all time. Dance Gavin Dance is a post-hardcore act out of Sacramento which, when they first started, was well-known for their soulful vocals (“And I Told Them I Invented Times New Roman,” “Lemon Meringue Tie”) killer guitar riffs (“Antlion,” “Burning Down the Nicotine Armoire”) and interesting hair choices of their own. Similar to Van Halen, Dance Gavin Dance over the years has had their fair share of notable vocalist switch-a-roos. From the melodic, yet problematic, Jonny Craig (Whatever I Say is Royal Ocean, Downtown Battle Mountain) to the laid-back Kurt Travis (Dance Gavin Dance, Happiness) and back to Craig (Downtown Battle Mountain II),DGD fans were really torn as to which vocalist to support. Do they go with the original frontman battling drug issues, or do they back the newcomer, Travis? Well, DGD made it easy on fans by ditching both singers for the ex-Tides of Man vocalist, Tilian Pearson. But hey, whether or not you’re a fan of Craig, Travis or Pearson, just be glad neither vocalist tried to sue the band for the right to use its name. We’re looking at you David Lee Roth. [Notable Mention: Escape the Fate // Van Halen]
Sleeping with Sirens // Journey
When Journey burst onto the scene in the mid-to-late 70’s with hits like “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Any Way You Want It” and “Wheel in the Sky,” the knock on them was that they weren’t heavy enough to hang with the metal dudes. Even though they progressed to become one the biggest bands of their era, certain fans cheered from a far in fear of losing their macho reputation. Sound familiar, Sleeping with Sirens fans? Although the Kellin-Quinn-led group has received huge fame with songs like “If You Can’t Hang,” “If I’m James Dean, Then You’re Audrey Hepburn” and “Alone,” some Warped-goers still refuse to support Sleeping With Sirens because “they’re too poppy.”
Memphis May Fire // AC/DC
For finicky AC/DC fans who may just know the hits like “Highway to Hell,” “Thunderstruck” and “Back in Black,” you may not know that AC/DC’s longtime frontman Brian Johnson is not the original singer. It was actually Bon Scott, who tragically passed away after the band recorded their first album. Some diehard Memphis May Fire fans may know where we’re going with this. While Matty Mullins is now the face of Memphis May Fire – and almost the entire metalcore scene – he too is not the original frontman. That role actually went to Chase Ryan, who fronted the band for the act’s self-titled EP that featured the badass tunes, “Cowbell’s Makin’ a Comeback,” “History of Merica” and “Conjunctions Conjunctions Everybody Loves Them.” With that said, both bands, with their secondary frontman at the helm, have proceeded to create their own brand of hard rock that has propelled them into their own level of stardom.
Enter Shikari // Deep Purple
In 2007, Enter Shikari’s Take To The Skies hit the streets creating quite a buzz for the UK four-piece here in the US. Incorporating synthesizers and keyboards in a way many of us had never heard in hardcore music before, songs like “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” and “No Sssweat” really helped Enter Shikari become fan favorites. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until their second release Common Dreads came out that these gents were launched into another level of fame. Tracks like “Zzzonked” and “The Jester” brought shock and astonishment to the hardcore community all across the globe. Dubstep in hardcore that’s actually good? These are the same types of feelings we imagine hit the faces of unsuspecting youths the first time they heard Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “Lucky Man,” or Yes’ “Roundabout.” However, since most of you are probably pretty unfamiliar with the two previously mentioned acts, we decided to reimagine Enter Shikari as a different classic rock act out of the UK: Deep Purple. Yes, the “Smoke on a Water" maestros themselves. The reason for the comparison? Well, in our eyes, it has to be Deep Purple’s first album, Shades of Deep Purple. Released in 1968, we picture that the first time fans heard the experimental intros and keyboard work throughout tracks like “And The Address,” and “Hush,” they must have lost their minds the same way we did after hearing Enter Shikari’s “Havoc A" or "Havoc B.”
