LAZERfest 2012: Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, & Slash

Slash
Met future Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler in junior high, and the two formed a band called Road Crew. High-school classmates included Lenny Kravitz and future Lone Justice singer Maria McKee....

Chevelle
Inspired by the lurching riffs of Helmet and the soft/loud vocal dynamics of Tool, the Chicago-based trio Chevelle formed in 1995 with an aggressive, heavy sound. Comprising brothers Sam (drums), Pete (vocals, guitar), and Joe Loeffler (bass), the band began playing parties and outdoor events, which quickly led to bookings at Chicago clubs when youngest member Joe was just 14-years-old....

Theory of a Deadman
Vancouver, Canada's Theory of a Deadman became the first act to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger's 604 Records imprint in 2001. Tyler Connolly (vocals/guitar) reportedly slipped a copy of the band's demo to Kroeger at a post-concert party and the two were soon collaborating on songs together....

Shinedown
Melodic hard rockers Shinedown hail from Jacksonville, Florida and originally featured vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist Brad Stewart, and drummer Barry Kerch. Snapped up by Atlantic Records during the early-2000s flurry of post-Creed and Nickelback signings, the group released its debut album, Leave a Whisper, in 2003....

Five Finger Death Punch
Los Angeles-based thrash outfit Five Finger Death Punch formed in 2005 around the talents of former U.P.O. guitar player Zoltan Bathory, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Darrell Roberts, vocalist Ivan Moody (Motograter/Ghost Machine), bass player Matt Snell (Anubis Rising), and former W....

LAZERfest