Author: Elizabeth Roberts

Posted: Jul 10, 2025

On June 22nd, the inaugural Summer of Loud took place at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater in Tampa, Florida. Being a new festival and first of its kind, it rallied metal fans from all surrounding cities to take part in this all day event. It promised a hell of a time with a line up including some iconic bands-TX2, Alpha Wolf, The Amity Affliction, The Devil Wears Prada, I Prevail, Beartooth, Killswitch Engage and Parkway Drive. Although the headliners rotated their set times on each night of the tour, the openers remained the same but were nowhere short of amazing with getting the day started.

First to hit the stage was TX2, their energy was unmatched as they really got the crowd hyped up for the day. The band really brought the energy with their punked-infused metalcore, even joining the audience on multiple occasions. They certainly weren’t shy to get the circle pit started, frontman Evan Thomas joining in the middle. They sang songs such as “I would hate me too” and “mad”, getting the audience in the mood to rock out.

Next up was the Australian native band Alpha Wolf, bringing some aggression and intense breakdowns in their performance. Singing songs such as “pretty boy” and “akudama” received cheers from the audience as they broke into pure chaos. Frontman Lochie Keogh demanding the crowd to create an insane mosh pit with brutally low vocals.

Following Alpha Wolf was The Amity Affliction, they brought a different vibe to the day with their emotionally charged music and post-hardcore lyrics. The low screams coming from lead singer Joel mixed with the melodies of their music really showed deep vulnerability. The crowd sang along to the lyrics for songs such as “all my friends are dead” and “soak me in bleach”, the chilling atmosphere that their set created was very moving.

Reaching the halfway point of the night, The Devil Wears Prada was up next. This band is so legendary and put on an iconic set, singing songs-Salt, Chemical and Sacrifice. Not only did they put on an amazing show but they also took time to dedicate their performance to their former drummer Daniel Williams and Dave Shapiro who both passed away in a plane crash earlier this year. Their set was full of great breakdowns and thematic lyrics that the crowd loudly sang along too.

The next 4 performances were all the headliners for this festival, all switching set times each night as I mentioned above. The first of the headliners for this day was I Prevail, who truly brought the heat. Not only did the bring the heat with their performance but were also the first band of the day to showcase some amazing pyrotechnics. The crowd really went manic when the band played songs “violent nature” and their popular cover “blank space”. The band took a moment away from performing brutal screams to dedicate the day with a very touching tribute to Dave Shapiro as well as he was the one to create and organize the festival and passed away before he could see any of it take place.

Beartooth was next and they really brought some energy and harmony to the stage while the sun started setting. Caleb blew the audience away with his mix of vocals and screams during songs “the past is dead” and “riptide”. He took the time to talk about mental health and encouraged the crowd to join him in a vocal exchange, mimicking his vocal harmonies at the end of the show that caused some major goosebumps.

Killswitch Engage followed and was another band that really got “into”, joining the audience during part of their performance. Some of the songs they sang included “I believe”, “aftermath” and “Holy Diver”, all joined with singing from the crowd. The audience was surprised with a visit from Howard Jones, the previous frontman of the band, he joined Jesse on stage to finish off their nostalgic set.

Parkway Drive ended the night with a breathtaking performance, really ensuring that the experience of this festival would be unforgettable. They began with songs “Glitch” and “prey” which all had the crowd moshing, head banging and cheering. They took full advantage of the pyrotechnics, ending their set with a rotating flaming drum cage while the crowd went absolutely insane.

The summer of loud proved to be more than just another music festival or random lineup- it was a true celebration and gathering of metal and heavy-music fans. It brought arena-sized production, amazing sounds, lights and pyrotechnics that allowed for a truly remarkable experience. This event was anything but ordinary and it was truly a momentous experience that I hope continues for summers to come.