How Tool overtook Sacramento

It was the first Sacramento show for Top Shelf in 2022! Tool and Blonde Redhead were a hit — let’s get after it! Fans were very excited and eager to enter the arena. There were many fans walking around wearing Tool merchandise, even concerts shirts from 2012. Some fans had mohawks and others wore all […]

Falling in Reverse releases first single from ‘Neon Zombie’ EP

Falling in Reverse is back with the new song “Zombified”, the first single from their upcoming Neon Zombie EP. The opening riff hits immediately — it’s one of their hardest riffs to date. Shortly after, the opening lyrics kick in: “The monsters are living under your bed // Cause they are the voices in your […]

Ice Nine Kills & SiriusXM celebrate 40 Years of ‘Evil Dead’

Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills (INK) and Jose Mangin — the “Metal Ambassador” and always entertaining host of SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal and Octane channels — came together for a food drive on December 10th! The opportunity to meet Spencer and Jose, and to see cool props from INK’s videos… WOW, that was a mouthful […]

The night I reached for Starset, but got a tornado

Lightning cracked across the sky as crowds gathered at Delmar Hall to see American rock band Starset on a balmy 70-degree day in December in St. Louis. The ominous weather painted the perfect backdrop for the absolute otherworldly experience that was about to unfold. The small venue felt packed almost immediately, which is uncommon for […]

Opeth shakes Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium was rumbling the Tuesday night of November 23rd, as Opeth, Mastodon and Zeal & Ardor rocked the legendary Nashville venue. This particular evening felt as if Christmas had come early for local metalheads, as three of the greatest names in heavy music took the stage. The night began with Zeal & Ardor […]

Ice Nine Kills reveals much-anticipated ‘Silver Scream’ sequel

Horror fans, the album of your dreams is finally here! Ice Nine Kills has released The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood; it’s the complete package for any horror fan, so let’s dive in head first. The lead track “Opening Night…” is probably the best intro to an album yet. “Warning! You are about to […]

Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2021: Day Four

We finally made it to Day Four of Blue Ridge Rock Festival! We were hot and dragging ass a bit, but so ready for this amazing lineup to close out the fest. By the last day of any festival, you know the fastest food lines, the cleanest port-a-potties (we vote BRRF as the cleanest festival potties […]

Black Veil Brides reveals ‘The Phantom Tomorrow’

Well the day rock fans have been waiting for is finally here! The Phantom Tomorrow by Black Veil Brides is now available for public consumption. Originally coming out on June 4th, 2021, this album got delayed for some reason… But, let’s not try and figure out why it took so long. Instead, let’s talk about the […]

Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2021: Day Three

Let’s reminisce on Day Three of Blue Ridge Rock Festival! By Day Three, we had this parking two miles away and walking to get to the gates thing down. Truth be told, I kind of enjoyed it, just for the people we met along the way! We made the best of it, cracked jokes, chatted about […]

Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2021: Day Two

Day Two of Blue Ridge Rock Fest definitely gave us some Warped Tour vibes!! With bands like D.R.U.G.S, Bad Omens, I Prevail, Asking Alexandria and Motionless in White… we were definitely feeling the nostalgia! Day Two also seemed to be slightly more organized then the day before! It’s like they found the flaws and fixed […]

WORLD VIDEO PREMIERE: A Good Rogering “Face Value”

Fans of eclectic rock, rejoice! Austin’s favorite heavy rockers A Good Rogering return with “Face Value”, the debut video from their upcoming album, Systematic Paralysis. Premiering today exclusively on Top Shelf Music, the video features a long-overdue message, paired with a less-than-delicate dystopian aesthetic. The video was created by graphic artist and videographer Eric Alan […]

Reliving the rush of Aftershock 2021

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Aftershock Festival returned to Sacramento’s Discovery Park for not three, but FOUR days! This year was the fifth installment of the event and brought a lineup that included Metallica, The Original Misfits, Volbeat, Cypress Hill, Body Count, Rancid, Gojira, Social Distortion and many more rock and […]

Two nights of Volbeat at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

Volbeat played not one, but two nights in San Diego on October 2nd and 3rd! After Volbeat sold out their first show, they decided to add another night (since San Diego clearly loves Volbeat!!). They had support from Twin Temple and Municipal Waste. Due to some house restrictions and confusion, I was not allowed to […]

Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2021: Day One

Day One of Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2021 in Danville, VA… This was quite an event to wrap up! Four days, six stages, 150 bands and mounds of obstacles every step of the way for promoter Jonathon Slye. Was Blue Ridge Rock Festival a shit show disaster or a brilliant success? We traveled from San Diego […]