Celebrating Under the Texan Sun at SUMMER OF LOUD 2025

June 27, 2025 – The Summer of Loud Tour 2025 is dedicated to honoring the memory of David Shapiro, a hard working manager and friend of music whom without, most of the bands on this tour would not exist. He died earlier this year in a tragic plane crash that also took the lives of two recent college graduates, and The Devil Wears Prada drummer, Daniel Williams.

On behalf of myself and ZRockR Magazine, I’d be remiss if I did not mention and honor those who died in that accident. When I was handed my media credential badge, Shapiro’s name and memoriam was printed on the bottom of the badge. It was the first thing on my mind as I entered each barricade. This wasn’t just a festival. It wasn’t just another tour, or another concert, or another mosh pit. This year’s Summer of Loud Tour was a celebration of bands who have existed for over twenty years, fans who’ve been around for for just as long, and those who gave their entire lives to building this genre and this industry.

To David, Daniel, and those with them, thank you.

A one-day metalcore music festival held in the middle of a racetrack under the scorching Texas sun, Austin’s powerful iteration of Summer of Loud saw nearly 20,000 fans filling up the Germania Insurance Amphitheater this past weekend. It was a crazy day full of sunburns, mosh pits, and all sorts of surprises, so let’s walk the day back and unpack it all.

TX2 kicked off the day. Infamous, controversial, and notorious to some audiences, and the rising gods of their genre to others, TX2’s performance surprised me. Whiny pop-punk vocals mixed with heavy breakdowns, their set was like the angry little brother to A Day to Remember. I thought it was pretty good, but what made it better was the vocalist jumping into the crowd to entice a mosh pit himself. I’ve never seen anything like it, which is good, because out of the endless copycat performers who keep shouting the same repetitive mosh calls, I’m happy that someone’s finding new ways to start chaos.

TX2 Gallery:

Alpha Wolf are the boys down under who seemed unphased by the 100 degree heat. In fact, they brought the blisters as they shredded through the stage. The pit got bigger, the crowd started growing, suddenly it was all coming together. Thankfully it got big enough to welcome The Amity Affliction. For some reason, they started 10 minutes early, so we in the media hut had to scramble and run to barricade as I heard a personal favorite song, “Pittsburg (No Intro)” start without us. It was probably my favorite set of the day simply because they’re my favorite band on the lineup. My love of that band started in middle school, and to see such a great set from the barricade was really a blessing. Songs like “Soak Me In Bleach” and “Drag the Lake” really hit me in my nostalgia as the band played their signature flavor of honest, aching metalcore.

Alpha Wolf Gallery:

The Amity Affliction Gallery:

The Devil Wears Prada was the final opening act, and rather than playing a lot of nostalgic tunes, the group stuck to their recent setlist material, playing newer songs from their albums Color Decay and The Act. I’d see The Devil Wears Prada before in San Antonio, in fact they’re the only band on the lineup that I’d seen before. They somehow just get better and better, although I could only
imagine how hard the tour has been for them.

The Devil Wears Prada Gallery:

Summer of Loud’s headliners rotate the order that they play in each stop. In Austin, the first act was I Prevail, who I was excited for because of their recent slight shift in sound. After vocalist, Brian Burkheiser, left the band earlier this year, their harsh vocalist, Eric Vanlerberghe, took it upon himself to work double-duty to keep the band alive. Their recent single, “Violent Nature” is insane, and goes much harder than I would have expected. This was also the first band of the day to use pyro effects on stage. Pyro is really cool, especially at night. Pyro in the middle of the day as the hundred degree sun beats down on you even harder than I Prevail’s breakdowns is not quite as cool. I ended up splashing water on my face at one point. Remember, kids, sunscreen is your friend. Fellow photographer – Lauren Grover of Off Record Media – managed to capture an engagement during the band’s song, “Hurricane”, which they dedicated to David’s memory. It was a really beautiful and powerful set.

I Prevail Gallery:

Caleb Shomo has a chest tattoo of a lion, and sings with a massive inflatable snake behind him on stage – and yet his band’s name is Beartooth. Not sure where the bears come into play, but Shomo’s vocal abilities certainly pack the tooth. Hooks you can bite into, and a stage presence that dripped in elegant charisma, Beartooth’s set was electric. Not my favorite band in the lineup, but I loved the swagger and the power behind their music. Just another reason why you have to see a band live before you can really judge their sound.

Beartooth Gallery:

Killswitch Engage’s set was interesting because it was the first time in my experience that I heard the crowd sing so loudly over the band. Songs like “My Curse,” “Rose of Sharyn”, and “I Believe” gained a lot of vocal audience participation from those who weren’t pushing around in the pit. It makes sense that they were second to last in the lineup. Incredible energy, crowd-pleasing melodies, mosh-inducing riffs, they were a fan favorite from the moment I saw the oceans of shirts bearing different versions of their logos. Some old, some new. It was an inter-generational gathering that brought so many people together. Also, what surprised me about the band was their not-so-serious attitude. They didn’t take themselves seriously at all, walking out to a parody cover of Baba O’Riley wearing shirts with phrases on them like “I’m with stupid”, and then made jokes about throwing up barbecue and drinking too much throughout the set. I’m just surprised that they weren’t made the permanent headliners of the entire tour, to be honest, but then came the ultimate end of the show, that final act that really put the night to bed.

Killswitch Engage Gallery:

I didn’t know a single thing about Parkway Drive before I shot them. I didn’t know any of their songs, didn’t know what they looked like, what they sounded like, I genuinely knew nothing about them except for one thing; their name. Parkway Drive has been a name tossed around my head for years now, and I’m not certain as to why I never tuned in and listened to them, but let me tell you, I’m pretty heavily interested now. Big, booming anthems, and choruses that conjured up the loudest of chants, Parkway Drive is a band you pump your fist to and bang your head. The Australian powerhouse has been around for about twenty years or so, and they still have it. I mean, what better closing act than a band that flips their drummer upside down and sets him on fire? A perfect sear to finish off a well-cooked festival.

Parkway Drive Gallery:

Summer of Loud is still going around the country! It’s a contender for tour of the year for all metalcore fans around the US, so get your tickets now and witness a collection of great bands celebrating each other and those who helped them carve the way. You don’t want to miss it.

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Liam Tennant for ZRockR Magazine – (c) 2025 – All Rights Reserved.