It seems like whenever you get online today and check out what is happening in the world of metal, another amazing band has either reformed with its classic lineup or is getting back together for the first time in many years to tour. Not only does this thrill the group's devout older fans, a whole new generation of people that never had the chance to see them in the glory days of the '80s and early '90s is coming along for the ride as well.
I think this a very unique time because one day you might be going to a Killswitch Engage or Machine Head show, and the next week your going down to your local arena to watch Iron Maiden play epic 13 minute songs. Some critics, for some reason or another, may not be thrilled by this, but for the vast majority of us, who appreciate music regardless of whether it was written in 1985 or 2005, it's a once in a lifetime chance to see bands from all eras of heavy metal history playing and making music.
I started thinking about this when Trivium was doing some festivals in Europe and I noticed that we would often be playing alongside classic bands like Bay area legends Y&T as well as many of our peers. I think that 20 years from now people will look up the lineups from many of these festivals and tours and say, "Holy s--t, that would have been f--king awesome to see!" much in the same way people talk about wishing they saw a Monsters of Rock at Castle Donnington or one of the other incredible tours of the day.
But what is even more exciting to me is that a lot of these great bands are making new music again alongside many bands they have inspired. I am really grateful that I have had the chance to tour and play shows with groups like Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Black Sabbath (with Ozzy and Dio!), it was an honor to be in the same building, let alone play on their stages. Seeing posters with our name under greats like those guys seems very surreal, and any time I hear that friends of ours that we have toured with are doing shows with some of these classic bands, I can't help but think we are all part of a very special time in music. I hope that summer festivals and tours continue to have both new and classic bands sharing the stage together and highlight where metal music came from and where it is at today.
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