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Kryptonite Metal Festival 2014: "Two Bands Defected From Cuba Just to Play"

Blood will rain from the sky at Kryptonite Metal Festival VII. And by blood, we mean beer. And by beer, we mean lots of it. Because when 1,900 heads bang, the Earth shakes. And if you're not careful, you might spill your drink. Forty bands -- yeah, count 'em --...
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Blood will rain from the sky at Kryptonite Metal Festival VII.

And by blood, we mean beer. And by beer, we mean lots of it. Because when 1,900 heads bang, the Earth shakes. And if you're not careful, you might spill your drink.

Forty bands -- yeah, count 'em -- will play four different stages for a half-hour each, from 4 in the afternoon till 3 in the morning. As show promoter Oski Gonzalez says, "That's a long time. That's a lotta metal."

Here is what some of the other characters involved have to say about it.

See also: Miami's Ten Heaviest Current Metal and Punk Bands

Yader Moreno: Festival Co-Founder, Drummer for Upheaval, and Manager at Sam Ash Music Store

"There wasn't anything for metal heads in South Florida, so we started this festival. Now people look forward to it like Christmas. We definitely hold the metal flag high for all the styles. There's so many, like black metal, blackened metal, melodic, progressive, death core, math core, djent (that's the sound the guitar makes, very palm-muted), and those are just a few. We could make a whole country of people in bands. I wish I could do this every month. I take pride in it. It's hard work, but it brings people together. I always hear about people marrying someone they met at the fest. Horns up. Metal forever."

Kryptonite Metal Festival 2014 Lineup

-Revolution

-Silenmara

-Blowtorch Sodomy

-Ornimental

-And the Kingdom Fell

-Spectrum

-1000 Pounds of Thrust

-Anicca

-Riot Agents

-Queen Dementia

-Rite to Bare Arms

-Katabatik

-Falseta

-Toasted Marshmallow Zombies

-Escape

-Mendacity

-Arcsin

-Unarmed for Victory

-NZM

-City of Stages

-Modern Day Outlaw

-Deadman's Gambit

-They Might Be Zombies

-Chamber of Dreams

-Kill the Tyrant

-One Mind

-Sevensins

-Lynch the Martyr

-Upheaval

-Loyal Until Death

-Ekkoz

-Apocalyptic Assault

-State of Solitude

-Origin of Disease

-Crude Brood

-Lacerate Kingdom

-All Hail the Mustache

-Nation of Decay

-Insurgency

Oski Gonzalez: Festival Co-Founder, Show Promoter, and Hustler at Tobacco Road

"Seven years ago, I convinced Tobacco Road to do a metal fest. They'd never even had metal bands here before. Metal has become what hip-hop once was. No venues want to touch it. They're scared. But one thing about metal, the fans are loyal, and we have never had a single problem. I'm a music advocate. I love local bands. If we got a national headliner, it would take away from the equality and unity. The idea is Miami has a badass metal scene. We had over 100 bands who wanted to play. Some people even tried to pay us to get on the show. This is the one metal show that every metal band looks forward to. It has become that monster. We have two bands that defected from Cuba just play. It's gonna kick ass. The Guitar God competiton at the end of the night is amazing."

Danny Perry: Guitar Player and Co-Founder of Ornimental

"In general, modern metal all sounds the same. But in Miami, we're actually seein' bands trying to be different and innovative. I wish luck to all the upcoming Miami bands. Make sure to love what you're doing, and love your craft. Personally, I really believe in Ornimental. I'm not tryin' to be cocky. We want to break boundaries and give people something different. This is our first year playing Kryptonite, but I've gone as a fan many times. It's not just bands. It's booths with unknown music products, contests, food. It's awesome."

Scary Cari Breves: Guitar Goddess for Blowtorch Sodomy

"Last year at Kryptonite I won the Guitar God competition. It's difficult. Everybody is expecting you to bring it cause you're a chick. I practiced 8 hours a day for 6 weeks to get ready. I teach guitar for a work too. My best friend Tony Sims died the morning of the competition. He was a really well known guitar player who trained me for the contest. He showed me how to take it up another level. I'm a classical player. I played neoclassical arpeggio suites, and a lot of really fast shred harmonic scales. I just played my heartout. I won it with him in my heart. I'm in a death metal bandnow. I got recruited into Blowtorch Sodomy shortly after winning the contest. It's quite a name. Definitely a head turner. The guys came up with it. We're definitely brutal.

See also:

-Five Signs You Might Be a Shitty Guitarist

-Florida's Top Ten Black Metal Bands

-25 Creepiest Heavy Metal Album Covers

Kryptonite Metal Festival VII. Saturday, March 8. Tobacco Road, 626 S. Miami Ave., Miami. The fest starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 3 a.m. Admission costs $10. Call 305-374-1198 or visit tobacco-road.com.

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