Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Hard rock has a longstanding home on 102.9 The HOG (WHQG-FM) in Milwaukee and the surrounding regions, all of whom came out in full force for the “Shock And Awe” edition of the leading station’s annual HOG Fest at the first-rate Fiserv Forum.

A major factor was certainly superstar headliner Five Finger Death Punch, currently celebrating 20 years of multi-platinum power and planning the “Best Of Volume 1” album of re-recorded/reimagined favorites.

In the meantime, 5FDP unleashed its no-nonsense blend of heavy, alternative and groove metal with front man Ivan Moody coming across as ferocious as ever, while the band matched if not surpassed its signature intensity.

“Welcome To The Circus,” “Life Me Up” and “Trouble” led the charge before the guys turned it up well past eleven by the additional aggression of the strobe-enhanced “Wash It All Away,” “Jekyll And Hyde” and “Sham Pain.”

Prior to the melodic monster ballad “Wrong Side Of Heaven,” Moody spoke fondly of spending summers visiting his grandmother in Wisconsin, regularly attending Summerfest and Rock Fest as a young fan.

The back half of the set stocked the remaining radio regulars, including awe-inspiring editions of “Under And Over It,” “Never Enough” and “The Bleeding,” amongst many other bone-crunchers.

Industrial metal veteran Marilyn Manson took the middle slot, representing the shocking portion of the evening’s theme, turning in a couple cuts off the current “One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1,” alongside an abbreviated overview of the 1990s and 2000s.

Alternative/emo rockers The Funeral Portrait got the arena warm with towering hooks, and crunchy riffs off the “Greetings From Suffocate City” project, especially when it came to chart-topping Moody collaboration “Holy Water.”

Thankfully, HOG Fest’s follow-up HOG Havoc is already on the books at the Fiserv on Thursday, September 18, featuring Evanescence, Poppy, Sleep Theory and Black Map for what’s sure to be yet another electrifying occasion.

For additional information on Five Finger Death Punch, HOG Fest and HOG Havoc, visit FiveFingerDeathPunch.com and 1029TheHOG.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Fiserv Forum include Nate Bargatze (Jul. 24-25); Shinedown (Jul. 26); Ghost (Jul. 29); Disney “Descendants” & “Zombies” (Aug. 5); Billy Strings (Aug. 8); Shane Gillis (Aug. 23); Linkin Park (Aug. 25); Deftones (Aug. 30); HOG Havoc (Sept. 18); Bert Kreischer (Sept. 19); Eric Church (Sept. 26); The Queens (Sept. 27); Adam Sandler (Oct. 5); Brandon Lake (Oct. 10); Mumford & Sons (Oct. 11); Jonas Brothers (Oct. 12); Ana Gabriel (Oct. 16) and Brandy & Monica (Oct. 17). For additional details, visit FiservForum.com.

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