Words by Adam Tibbott
Photos by Sarah Ervin
Taste of Chaos 2008: Avenged Sevenfold, Ateryu, Bullet for My Valentine, blessthefall, MUCC, Idiot Pilot, the Underneath, D’espairsRay
April 1, 2008
Nokia Live at Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, Texas
It’s funny how a few photographs can take you back nearly twenty years in an instant. One minute you’re digging through old hard-drives for concert archives, and the next you’re remembering the bands, the crowds, the music, and just how different everything felt back then. That’s exactly what happened when I started revisiting Sarah’s photos from the 2008 Taste of Chaos Tour.
For those of us who spent the 2000s going to shows, Taste of Chaos was something special. It was essentially the winter version of Warped Tour, but with a heavier edge. It brought together bands that were dominating our CD collections, filling our MySpace profiles, and providing the soundtrack to a pretty unforgettable period in music. And the 2008 lineup? Looking back, it’s almost ridiculous how much talent was packed into one tour.
Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu, Bullet for My Valentine, Blessthefall, MUCC, D’espairsRay, The Underneath, and Idiot Pilot.
Some of those bands were already well established. Others were just starting to make their mark. A few would go on to become some of the biggest names in heavy music. At the time, though, we weren’t necessarily thinking about any of that. We were just excited to see our favorite bands, discover a few new ones, and spend an evening surrounded by people who loved the same music we did.
Avenged Sevenfold: Before Everything Changed
By 2008, Avenged Sevenfold was becoming a force that couldn’t be ignored. Their self-titled album had been released the previous fall, and songs like “Almost Easy,” “Afterlife,” and “Critical Acclaim” were everywhere. They had already come a long way from the band that released Sounding the Seventh Trumpet and Waking the Fallen, and you could see their confidence growing with every performance.
They were becoming arena headliners right before our eyes. But there’s something about looking back at photos of Avenged Sevenfold from this particular period that hits differently now. Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan was still behind the drums.
Nobody standing in those crowds in 2008 could have imagined that we’d lose him the following year. He was such an important part of what made Avenged Sevenfold who they were, and seeing him in those old photographs is a reminder of just how much can change in such a short amount of time.
It’s one of those things that makes me appreciate having spent so many years photographing concerts. Sometimes you don’t realize the importance of a moment until long after it’s passed.
Atreyu: Growing Up Alongside Their Fans
Atreyu was another band that seemed to be everywhere during those years. They were touring behind 2007’s Lead Sails Paper Anchor, an album that showed just how much their sound had evolved since Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses and The Curse.
Songs like “Becoming the Bull” and “Falling Down” were bringing them a much wider audience, and while some longtime fans weren’t entirely sold on the changes, there was no denying how far they’d come. I think that’s something we sometimes forget when looking back at bands from this era. A lot of them were growing up right alongside us. The music was changing because the musicians were changing. Their audiences were getting older, their influences were expanding, and they were figuring out what they wanted their careers to look like.
Atreyu was right in the middle of that evolution, and Taste of Chaos caught them at a pretty interesting point in their history.
Bullet for My Valentine: Just Getting Started
It’s hard to think about heavy music in the mid-to-late 2000s without Bullet for My Valentine coming to mind. Their debut album, The Poison, had already made a huge impression, and by the time Taste of Chaos rolled around, they’d just released Scream Aim Fire. That album was everywhere. The title track, “Hearts Burst Into Fire,” and “Waking the Demon” helped introduce an entire generation of fans to a band that combined traditional heavy metal guitar work with the aggression and melodies that were so popular at the time.
Looking back, it’s easy to forget just how young some of these bands were in their careers. Bullet for My Valentine would eventually become one of the most recognizable names in modern metal, but in 2008, they were still building toward that future.
Unfortunately, their time on the tour was cut short when bassist Jason James had to return home because of his daughter’s serious illness. Even so, their inclusion on the lineup says a lot about where heavy music was heading.
Blessthefall: The Next Generation Was Already Waiting
Every great touring festival needs a few bands that make you stop and think, “Okay, these guys might be onto something.”
Blessthefall was one of those bands. Their debut album, His Last Walk, had only been out for about a year, and they were still finding their footing in a scene that was becoming increasingly crowded. The combination of screamed vocals, melodic choruses, and emotionally charged lyrics was becoming a defining sound for a new generation of post-hardcore fans. There was also a lot happening behind the scenes with the band’s lineup during this period, making 2008 an especially interesting chapter in their history.
What I appreciate about looking back at tours like this is remembering that not every band on the bill was already a household name. Some were still playing for audiences who had never heard of them. Some were making fans one performance at a time.
And honestly, discovering a new favorite band was half the fun.
Remember When Discovering Japanese Rock Felt Like Finding a Hidden Treasure?
One of my favorite things about the 2008 Taste of Chaos lineup was the inclusion of MUCC, D’espairsRay, and The Underneath. Japanese rock and visual kei already had dedicated followings in the United States, but seeing those artists on a major American tour was still something pretty special.
MUCC brought their own unpredictable mix of heavy rock and alternative influences. D’espairsRay had a darker, industrial edge, along with the striking visual presentation that made them so memorable. The Underneath added another flavor to a lineup that was already remarkably diverse.
And remember, this was 2008. We didn’t have the same instant access to music from around the world that we do today. YouTube existed, of course, and MySpace was still a huge part of music discovery, but finding international bands often meant digging through websites, message boards, and recommendations from other fans.
There was something exciting about that. You’d stumble across a band you’d never heard of, track down whatever music you could find, and suddenly discover an entirely different musical world. Taste of Chaos gave American fans a chance to experience some of that music in person. It was a reminder that there was a whole lot happening outside the bands getting regular rotation on American radio.
When a Concert Was an Entire Evening Out
Another thing I miss about those traveling tours was how much there was to experience beyond the main stage. Idiot Pilot, for example, performed in the concourse during Taste of Chaos, giving fans something to check out between the bigger performances.
There were merchandise tables, crowds gathering around unfamiliar bands, and people wandering around with freshly purchased shirts and CDs. You could spend hours at these shows.
And let’s talk about the merchandise for a second. There was something satisfying about buying a CD directly from a band, taking it home, and listening to it for the first time. Maybe you’d have the band sign it. Maybe you’d pick up a shirt that would eventually become so faded and worn that you’d refuse to throw it away. Those little things became part of the memories. Sure, concerts still offer plenty of those experiences today, but there was a different feeling to the touring festival scene in the 2000s. Maybe some of that is nostalgia talking. I’m perfectly willing to admit that. But I also think we were experiencing a pretty remarkable period in music without fully realizing it.
We Didn’t Know We Were Living Through an Era
That’s probably the biggest thing that stands out to me when I look through these photographs. In 2008, we weren’t calling this music nostalgic. We weren’t celebrating twenty-year anniversaries or talking about how influential these albums would become.
We were living it.
These were the bands releasing new albums, touring constantly, and filling venues with people who knew every word. MySpace was still part of our daily lives. We were buying physical albums, burning CDs for friends, and discovering bands through opening sets and word of mouth.
And for those of us photographing concerts, we were doing it with cameras that seem almost ancient compared to what we use today. There was no instant Instagram gallery waiting to be uploaded before the headliner finished their encore. You went home, transferred your photos, worked through the edits, and hoped you’d captured something worth sharing.
I had already been photographing concerts for nearly a decade by the time Taste of Chaos 2008 rolled around, but I don’t think I fully appreciated how important some of those images would eventually become. Not because every photograph was perfect. Far from it. But because they captured something real. They captured bands at a particular moment in their careers, audiences experiencing music that meant something to them, and musicians who were helping shape the next chapter of heavy music.
Some of those musicians are no longer with us. Some bands have changed dramatically. Others have reunited, taken extended breaks, or continued touring for decades. And some of those fans who were packed against the barricade in 2008 are probably bringing their own kids to concerts now.
That’s a pretty incredible thing to think about.
Nearly Twenty Years Later
As I continue digging through the Revenant Media archives, I’m constantly reminded of just how fortunate I’ve been to spend so much of my life documenting live music. I’ve photographed thousands of performances over the years, and sometimes it’s easy to forget just how much history is sitting on those old hard drives and memory cards.
Then I come across something like Sarah’s photos from Taste of Chaos 2008. Suddenly, I’m remembering the music, the excitement, the bands, and all those little details that seemed so ordinary at the time. It’s strange how quickly twenty years can slip by.
What was once just another concert on the calendar has become a reminder of a period that helped define an entire generation of heavy music fans. And while I certainly wouldn’t mind going back and experiencing a few of those shows all over again, there’s something equally rewarding about being able to revisit them through the photographs.
The hairstyles might be questionable. The fashion choices definitely were. And some of those old camera settings probably make me cringe today. But the music? The music still holds up. And so do the memories.
From the Revenant Media archives, here’s a look back at the 2008 Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour. Nearly twenty years later, I’m glad we were there to capture a little piece of it.
