Friday night was filled with Metal as the In Thrash We Trust Tour tore it’s way through Raleigh, NC…

On May 9, 2008, the In Thrash We Trust Tour rolled its way through the Volume 11 tavern in Raleigh, NC as Light This City, Soilent Green, Death Angel, and God Forbid put on an amazing show! This was one of the longest shows I’ve been to in a while, but I had a great time as the Metal kept rollin’ on into Saturday morning.

The first band to play was actually a local opener called Age of Despair. These guys played before the show was supposed to start, but they actually weren’t half bad! They had a very old school sound that combined sounds from bands like Pantera and Fireball Ministry, but overall, I enjoyed their set.

To get the regular show goin’, Light This City came onstage and tore the venue up! (Not literally) This was the second time I’ve seen these guys and they continue to amaze me. Their style is still not one I would normally jam to, but they put on a great show and vocalist Laura Nichol can wail! She was just as brutal as the first time I saw them, and I really wouldn’t mind going for round 3!

Keepin’ this show kickin’ was the third band of the overall night, Soilent Green. Having proudly played under the name of a 1970s horror flick (Soylent Green) and hailing from the land of Sludge metal (New Orleans, LA), SG absolutely annihilated the place with the killer line-up of Ben Falgoust (Goatwhore) on vocals, Brian Patton (EyeHateGod) playing guitar, Scott Crochet (Hostile Apostle) on bass, and Tommy Buckley (Crowbar) playing drums! As just mentioned, this band has quite an all-star line-up with every member being involved with some other band. Personally, I am also a fan of both Goatwhore and Crowbar, so I already love what Ben and Tommy do, but together with tis line-up, SG is a KILLER band! Their set consisted of some older songs together with some new songs off their newest album Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction, such as “Mental Acupuncture”, “Blessed in the Arms of Servitude”, and “For Lack of Perfect Words”. As a whole, the set was insane and these guys put on a great show. After their set and Death Angel’s set, I was able to get an interview with Brian. Some of the things we discussed were why they chose the name Soilent Green, some of the line-up changes they’ve had and influences on him and the band. Overall, with a great viewing experience and an interview (with some other discussions) under my belt for the evening, I had a really great experience with Soilent Green and I’d love to hang out with these guys again sometime.

After a great set from Soilent Green, it was time to get a lesson in Thrash with the masters, Death Angel. With this show being the first time in 18 years DA has played in North Carolina, an excellent show was to be expected and they delivered! Everybody in the band was absolutely incredible and vocalist Mark Osegueda put on a great show while showing off his, obvious, vocal skills. As a bit of a gift to this NC crowd, they actually played a couple of songs for the first time on this tour to go with some other older songs and some songs off their new album Killing Season including “Lord of Hate”, “Sonic Beatdown”, and “Buried Alive”. Overall, the entire set was awesome, and I was glad to finally get to see them live! After the whole show was over, I was able to get an interview with guitarist Ted Aguilar and bassist Dennis Pepa. Honestly, this was the longest interview I’ve had with the least amount of questions asked and it was a bit more personal than most I’ve done. These guys were really cool to hang out with and talk to while they were hitting me with some pretty interesting stuff like influences on them and bands they like to listen to and things like that. Also, these two had some really good advice for people starting bands. Overall, another great experience with these guys and would definitely jump at the chance to do this again. (And as a personal favor for them, make sure to hit their Myspace page at www.myspace.com/deathangel or their website at www.deathangel.com)

The last band to hit the stage for the night was God Forbid. What a way to end this show! before seeing them live, I had never heard a lot of their material, but I was absolutely impressed with these guys and their performance was insane!

As a whole, this show was absolutely awesome show to go to and I had an incredible time talking to the guys from the bands and I’d love to see any of these bands play again!

Brian Patton (Soilent Green) Interview
Ted Aguilar and Dennis Pepa (Death Angel) Interview

***WARNING: Comments made by band members in interviews may contain language normally censored in our reviews. Since the recording is live, we are not able to censor that material, so please be advised of that.***

No mosh pits were to be found as Metal hit Charlotte, NC on a Friday night…

Friday, March 2, 2008 was a fairly calm night as far as crowds go during the Symphony X, Epica, and Into Eternity show at the Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte, NC. There was plenty of energy being emitted, don’t get me wrong, but I believe this was the first Metal show I’ve EVER been to with absolutely NO moshing! There was even moshing when I saw Black Label Society (which is weird all in its own), but it’s understandable that there was none because of the styles of Metal being portrayed. Either way, this show was awesome!

The first band to play was the one I was most excited about, Into Eternity! Hailing from Canada, these guys are an incredibly talented group of guys who know how to put on a great show. Everyone in the band was pretty on point during their set, but the best was their vocalist Stu Block. Honestly, he is my favorite vocalist ever and this performance put him WAY over the bar! Hearing him go from one of the craziest growls I’ve heard to some of the highest sung notes I’ve ever heard and back again was an experience I’ll never forget. The three songs I recognized out of the six song set they played were “Timeless Winter”, “Surrounded by Night”, and “Severe Emotional Distress”, which are three of my favorite songs off of their album The Scattering of Ashes. Honestly, the only other thing I could have asked for was for them to play “Pain Through Breathing” so I could hear Stu’s incredible air raid siren technique. Overall, these guys truly amazed me and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to see them live again!

The second band to play was Epica from the Netherlands (and Belgium). I had never really heard to much of this band’s material before the show, but definitely put on a great show despite the absence of their lead vocalist Simone Simons. The stand-in vocalist Amanda Somerville (vocals for the North American tour), however, did a great job along with support from guitarist Mark Jansen with his “death growls”. With influences from bands such as Opeth and Kamelot, Epica definitely showed their talents in songs lasting anywhere from 5 minutes or so to 10 minutes and possibly more! Overall, Epica’s set was great and Mark was a really cool guy to talk to and interview after their set. They definitely got a new fan in me and I can’t wait to see these guys again either.

The moment arrived at last for Symphony X to play! I think I missed the very beginning of their set while I was interviewing Mark Jansen from Epica on their tour bus, but I was able to catch the most of their set which blew me away! I had listened to a bit of Symphony X’s material on their Myspace page previous to the concert date, but to see them live blows that out of the water. The only way I can really explain their sound and some of their look is to say that they were like Fireball Ministry meets Pantera, throw in a keyboardist, amp up the double bass by the drummer, add a bit more speed to some of the songs, put in massive amounts of sweep picking by the guitarist, their bassist looks like Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell from back in the 1970s, and their vocalist had some Rob Halford style vocals goin’ on. I was seriously diggin’ this band during their set! I honestly can’t tell you a single song title of the stuff they played, but I don’t care because I was so overtaken by their abilities and sound that takes old school Metal and mashes it together with new school Metal. Overall, awesome band!

All in all, this was an amazing show to attend and i was super impressed with everybody who played! Skill wise, this show was totally on point and I would love to see it over and over again if possible! Great way to spend a Friday night if I may say so myself!

Shadows Fall tears the house down in Raleigh…

On April 21, 2008, Atlantic Records band Shadows Fall headlined an incredible show at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, NC. The supporting bands on the bill were Droid, Arsis, The Showdown, and Kataklysm. With a combined effort from all five acts, Monday night was turned from a monotonous drag to a headbanging good time!

The first band to kick off the night was Long Beach, CA band Droid. Although their set was short because of the number bands playing, Droid definitely brought their A game to start this show with aggression. This was my first Droid experience and I was definitely impressed.

The next band to hit the stage was Arsis. This was my first time hearing Arsis as well and I was definitely impressed with them. They had a great Death/Black metal sound that really helped get you going for the rest of the show. Overall, great live performance.

The third band to play was The Showdown from Elizabethton, TN. These guy really changed the pace again from Death metal to straight Heavy metal. Honestly, I’d say that they were the only band on the bill that sounded anything close to Shadows Fall. Either way, these guys could wail! Their breakdowns were awesome and I liked the Pantera-like feel some of their grooves had. Overall, they put on a great show.

The next to last band to play was legendary Death metal band Kataklysm! Normally I’m not huge into Death metal, but there is definitely an exception for these guys. Everything about their set was awesome and these guys definitely know how to get a crowd goin’! Everybody played everything on point and Maurizio Iacono’s vocals were spot on. Kataklysm proved to be my second favorite band of the night and they are certainly worth going to see again!

Finally, Shadows Fall hit the stage. Enter “massive dreads of doom”! When SF hit the stage, everybody in the venue went nuts and the party got taken to the next level. They played a good 8-10 song set that included songs such as “The Light That Blinds”, “The Power of I and I”, “Redemption”, “Failure of the Devout”, “What Drives the Weak”, and more! Just like Kataklysm, these guys were all on point and Brian Fair’s vocals were incredible. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for much of a better set to see live.

All in all, I’m glad I finally got to see Shadows Fall play live and gain a few new bands into my arsenal of Metal! If you have the chance to see any of these band play live, go check ‘em out.

DevilDriver headlines insane show at Jester’s Pub!

On March 18, 2008, DevilDriver’s Bound by the Road Tour came to Jester’s Pub in Fayetteville, NC! Supporting DevilDriver were Straight Line Stitch, Invitro, 36 Crazyfists, and Napalm Death. Walls of Jericho was supposed to play, but they were not able to attend, so Straight Line Stitch was put on the bill. From start to finish, this show was one of the craziest shows I have ever been too!

The first band to play was Tennessee’s own Straight Line Stitch. When I first heard that they were supposed to play instead of Walls of Jericho, I wasn’t sure what to expect since I had never heard them before, but I was extremely impressed with this band. The one person in SLS I was most impressed with was their bassist, Jason White. This guy was amazing! He was incredibly fast and was actually sweep picking on his six-string bass! If he had done a harmonic bend and spun it around his body, he would have done it all! The guitarists Seth Thacker and Tim Chapell definitely helped put on a great show with their skills. The other member I was extremely impressed with was their drummer, Patrick Haynes. He had some incredible double bass skills whether he was using one foot or both feet! Heading this great band up was vocalist Alexis Brown. This girl could growl! Because of the sound levels, I couldn’t hear her as well when she was singing clean, but her growl was intense and she can spin her crazy extensions with the best of metalheads! Overall, SLS put on a great show and really got this concert off to a great start!

The next band to play had the weirdest entrance I have ever seen! The band was Speed metal band, Invitro, and these guys came out in lab coats with tin foil on their heads! I believe they were a guitarist down because there were only four members playing, but they put on one excellent show. I’m not much of a Speed metal fan, but I can’t deny that Invitro knows Speed metal. Vocalist Jeff Weber could scream and sing very well as he hit every part of the stage along with their bassist Brad Dujmovic, who displayed great stage presence as he jumped around and bounced from each side of the stage to the other. Joining him from time to time in the jumping and stage show was guitarist Mikey Doling, who could wail on guitar! Last, but certainly not least, was drummer Benny Cancino. Not only was Benny just a good drummer, this guy was wailing on his drums to accent his insanely fast double bass skills! All in all, I was impressed with their entire show and wouldn’t mind seeing them again in the future.

The third band to hit the stage was Alaskan four-piece, the 36 Crazyfists! This was the first band to play that I was really there for, and I was not disappointed. I wasn’t quite familiar with their set because I haven’t kept quite as updated on their material, but they put on one heck of a show! Throughout the set, vocalist Brock Lindow proved his ability to scream as he screamed more live than on the album with the help of guitarist Steve Holt’s back-up vocals. Not only could Steve also scream, he showed his ability to rip it on guitar and cover while their guitar tech (filling in on bass) had to run off the stage to get cables to play with when his wireless battery died. Bassist Mick Whitney couldn’t attend because he was with his wife who was giving birth to their new daughter. As for their drummer Thomas Noonan, another great drummer! Thomas definitely kept with the night’s pattern of entertaining drummers and helped pull the sound of the band together for a great show! To help finish the last few songs of the set, Jason White from Straight Line Stitch came out and took over on bass. Before the show, I was able to hang out with Steve and I got a great interview with him. I found out about his experience helping with the Roadrunner United: The All Stars album and working with Joey Jordison from Slipknot on that and some cool things about their touring and whatnot. I had a great time hanging out with Steve and I can’t wait to see these guys again!

Next to play was Metal legend band, Napalm Death! Hailing from Birmingham, England, ND is playing in their 27th year in existence as a band and I can see why they have lasted this long! During their set, the sound was never properly fixed, so they had to struggle through that, but they still displayed their skills to crowd that was going nuts for them. They weren’t my favorite band of the night, but I enjoyed their set. Just as the three drummers before him in the show, Danny Herrera played with extreme skill and fast double bass (despite the mics on his drums not being right). Guitarist Mitch Harris and bassist Shane Embury were both great players, but they didn’t move around as much as they could have. This didn’t take away from their playing, they just didn’t display a great deal of stage show. Vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway was growling pretty well through the set and was bouncing a bit around the stage between lyrics. Overall, ND played a pretty good set and I wouldn’t mind seeing them with all the sound issues worked out.

Finally, the moment I had been waiting for 2 or 3 years for happened! DevilDriver took the stage and the place went absolutely insane! This was one of the craziest concert experiences I have ever had as I was smashed up against wooden railing at the edge of the stage, stuck between people so that it was hard to headbang or do a whole lot of anything. DD played through a great set including songs from all three of their albums including “Grinf**ked” (one of my favorites), “I Could Care Less”, “These Fighting Words”, “Sin & Sacrifice” (another favorite), “Clouds Over California”, “I Dreamed I Died” (another favorite), and their encore song “End of the Line”. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for much more out of DD; they were amazing! Dez Fafara’s vocals were right on, guitarists Jeff Kendrick and Mike Spreitzer were awesome, Jon Miller was killin’ it on bass, and John Boecklin’s drumming was massive! To top off the line of drummers with fast double bass skills, John definitely was the ultimate finisher! The overall stage presence of the whole band was great, being led by Dez who can definitely work a crowd! Overall, perfect show! Before the show, I got a quick interview with Jeff where I learned that the band’s name was actually Dez’s wife’s idea and that the logo is actually a form of the cross of confusion. Basically, the cross of confusion stands for questioning everything, where the person using it can take it as far as they wish.

All in all, I had the time of my life at this show and I can’t wait to see DevilDriver in action again! Altogether, this whole tour line-up couldn’t be much more perfect and I’m glad I got to witness this show!

3 supports Chevelle for the first time during sold out show!

On March 10, 2008, Metal Blade Records band 3 played at Jester’s Pub in Fayetteville, NC for the first time during their first show supporting Chevelle on their current tour. 3′s efforts were joined by another New York Rock band, God or Julie, making for a great “change of pace” show experience for me!

Before telling about the show itself, I would like to personally (once again) thank the guys from 3 for being so cool and letting me hang out with them after there were some guest list issues with the venue. This was the first time I’ve ever had the opportunity to be around a band for the entire show and experience what crew members do for a band. Thanks again guys! I had a blast and I want to thank Joey for doing the interview with me!

Continuing on to the show, the first band to play was God or Julie from Brooklyn, New York. In my opinion, this band was a great choice for an opening act on this tour because of their sound! I heard a mix of styles from both Chevelle and 3 in this band as well as a bit of an original sound giving them a great Progressive sort of Rock feel. Although I’m not too familiar with the band, their set started out with a great cover of “No Quarter” by Led Zeppelin, giving them an edge since that is not a typical cover for bands to play. Not only is it a unique cover, but it sounded great! Overall their set was good and they got this show off to a great start.

The next band to run the stage was Progressive Rock band 3 from Woodstock, New York. Honestly, these guys sound great on album, but that doesn’t even come close to their live performance! I was really excited to finally see these five guys play live and they definitely didn’t let me down! Throughout their set, 3 played songs from both their newest album The End is Begun and the album before that one, Wake Pig. The first song performed was my overall favorite 3 song from Wake Pig, “Alien Angel”, for which they have a great music video! The set continued through six songs or so including some of my favorites from The End is Begun such as the title track “The End is Begun”, “Battle Cry”, “All That Remains” (for which there is also a music video), and “These Iron Bones”. To end the set, 3 played a couple more songs from Wake Pig including “Monster” and “Bramfatura” with “Amazed Disgrace” on the end of it. You really have to see 3 play live to understand the incredible talent that was portrayed and really brought out in the end with an amazing acoustic solo by lead singer/guitarist Joey Eppard and a drum solo/”battle” constructed of the talents of drummer Chriss Gartmann and percussionist/keyboardist Joe Stote. Throughout the entire set, these guys were supported by and supported the talents of rhythm guitarist Billy Riker and bassist Daniel Grimsland. Overall, the set was amazing and I definitely can’t wait to see these guys again!

At last, Chevelle came on to fulfill their position as headlining band. Since I have not kept to current with their material, I wasn’t quite as into their set, but it was a good one! They did play two songs from each album including “The Red” and “Send the Pain Below” from Wonder What’s Next, so I enjoyed those since I knew them. Other than that, Chevelle played for a good hour or so showing their great stage presence and ability to keep a sold out audience entertained!

With all experiences and thoughts in mind, I had a great time at this show and I will definitely never forget what went on. This show definitely ranks with the Chimaira/All That Remains show for great Rock In Review experiences!

All That Remains and Chimaira put on explosive show in Charlotte!

On March 5, 2008, Ferret Music band Chimaira supported Prosthetic Records band All That Remains in a KILLER show at Amos’ Southend in Charlotte, NC. Joining Chimaira in supporting ATR were Metal band Light This City and Black Tide. Honestly, this show was one of the most aggressive events I have ever witnessed!

The first band to warm up the stage was West Coast Metal machine, Light This City. This was my first experience seeing this band and I was impressed. They were HEAVY! Guitarists Ryan Hansen and Brian Forbes were on top of their games killin’ the six strings and throwin’ in some hair spins and much needed headbanging. Bringin’ up the incredible back bone for LTC were drummer Ben Murray and bassist Jon Frost! The last piece to this puzzle was the brutal screaming of vocalist Laura Nichol. With all the forces of this band are combined, LTC put on a great show and kicked this show off the right way!

The second band to play was definitely the odd band of the tour, but still definitely deserved to be there! This band…is Black Tide. To compare this band to anyone else, they’re like a young Dragonforce without all the sweep picking! As mentioned before, BT was the odd band of the tour because of their style, but they definitely had talent. Guitarists Alex Nunez and Gabriel Garcia helped lead the second wave of attack on Amos’ Southend with bassist Zachary Sandler and drummer/keyboardist Steven Spence. Vocals were shared pretty equally between Zach and Gabriel, but Alex had an input in it every now and again. Overall BT played a great set mostly constructed of original songs, but they also played Metallica’s first written song “Hit The Lights” that appeared on Kill ‘Em All and will be appearing on BT’s new album, Light From Above. These first two band were only setting up for what was to come next!

And what came next was none other than Cleveland’s own Metal task force, Chimaira! Honestly, Chimaira is one of the most aggressive and powerful bands I have EVER heard! If you listen to any of Chimaira’s albums, you’ll get a slight glimpse of their power, but none of the albums compare to their live show! With the combined efforts of guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt Devries with bassist Jon LaMarca, keyboardist/sampler Chris Spicuzza, and returning drummer Andols Herrick, Chimaira proceeded to nearly blow my eardrums with an incredible set consisting of new and old songs. To complete the formula, insanely aggressive vocalist Mark Hunter was leading this set through songs including but not limited to (probably my favorite Chimaira song) “The Flame”, “Resurrection”, and “Salvation”. Pre-show, I was able to get an interview with Matt Devries who had some pretty interesting things to say. When asked about his favorite song off of their latest record Resurrection, he replied with my same favorite song, “The Flame”. He mentioned it was his favorite because of its aggressiveness and that it was so fun to play, although “Six” was another top from the album because it shows the diversity of the band. Matt had also appeared on the Roadrunner United: The All Stars album and said he was honored to be able to have that opportunity to play/record with guys he’s looked up to before and to have time working with Joey Jordison on that album as well. Overall, with the interview and witnessing of their live set, Chimaira helped give me one of the most memorable concert experiences I have had with Rock In Review!

At last it was time for the final wave of attack, All That Remains! Hailing from Springfield, Massachusetts, this five-piece Metalcore band definitely put the perfect finishing touches on an incredible night! This being the third time I’ve seen ATR I kind of knew what to expect, but I was still surprised with the performance of a few of their older songs including the first song vocalist Philip Labonte ever wrote for ATR; I believe it was “Clarity”. At the time that song was released on their first album Behind Silence and Solitude, the only other original member in the band that remains in the band today was guitarist Oli Herbert! Now, joining Oli and Philip in the journey towards making the world a more Metal place are rhythm guitarist Mike Martin, bassist Jeanne Sagan, and their most recent drummer Jason Costa. Together, these five make up an incredible band who have impressed me 3 out of 3 times! As mentioned, on March 5th, ATR played new and old songs including “Not Alone”, This Calling”, “This Darkened Heart”, and for Guitar Hero fans…”Six”! As their encore song, Laura Nichol from Light This City joined Philip in performing the vocals for the closest song ATR has to a Death Metal song, “The Weak Willed”. This was the perfect end to a great show!

All in all, this concert was one for the books and I had a blast getting to experience it! Make sure to catch these bands on tour near you if possible!

“Weekend Warriors” comes home to Asheville…

On February 22, 2008, Victory Records band Secret Lives! Of The Freemasons headlined another record release show for their new album “Weekend Warriors” that was released on February 19th. Honestly, I had a good time at this show, but it wasn’t quite as good as Feb. 19th’s record release show.

The first band to start the night was Fairground Avenue from Hendersonville, NC. As they started their set, I wasn’t too impressed, but as they continued to play, they started sounding a bit better to me. With them being heavily influenced by Alternative/Emo music, they already started off lower on my interested scale, but overall they weren’t too bad.

The second band to support Secret Lives!… was Kentucky band, Creatures. I liked these guys. They have a definite Alternative influence, but there was something about them that I really enjoyed their set. their sound all around was pretty awesome! Really, I wouldn’t mind seeing these guys play again and I have to put them as my second favorite band of the night.

My third favorite band for the evening was Charlotte’s own, Harvard. They played a pretty good set that I enjoyed, but they were pretty bizarre sounding. Not bizarre in a bad way, but they had a strange sound that was pretty enjoyable. Musically, these guys are definitely talented, but their vocalist has an amazing singing voice. Overall, they put on a great show and I wouldn’t mind seeing them again at some point either.

At last, it was time for my, obviously, favorite band of the evening to run the crowd. Secret Lives! Of The Freemasons took the stage with great energy and blew through a great set, once again, including songs from their new album like “Chug and Leave”, “Mascara”, and “Life Begins at 40oz.”. As seen before, Jim and Tucker were throwin’ it down on guitar as Josh was bassin’ it up and Travis was beatin’ on the skins! Brien was on his game once again as he belted out this great set and finished off a good show. As with a couple of the other bands, I’d definitely like to these guys play live again, they really put on a great show!

All in all, this was a great shows despite driving 4 hours to attend. Kudos to all the bands for putting on this show and entertaining the crowd so much!

“Weekend Warriors” in full effect on Tuesday night…

On February 19, 2008, Victory Records band Secret Lives! Of the Freemasons headlined the first record release show for their new album “Weekend Warriors”. The great mix of supporting bands for the night were Defy the Hunter, Embracing Goodbye, Dead Eyes, and Akissforjersey. Honestly, what I expected the show to be like and the way it actually turned out were almost completely opposite. I went to Greensboro expected a more Alternative/Emo show, but I was completely blown away by a phenomenal Metalcore/Alternative show North Carolina style!

The first band to kick the night off was Greensboro’s own Defy the Hunter. These guys were the perfect choice to pen the show! Their performance was INSANE! The guitarists Steven and Sam were rippin’ it up their mean 6-strings as bassist Paul was runnin’ a smooth, yet nasty bass line! While this was goin’ on, drummer Josh was showin’ off his massive double-bass skils and vocalist Cowboy was proving that he could be, as far as I’m concerned, the next Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage). Cowboy’s screams and clean vocals were equally on point! Overall, this band was the first piece of proof for the night that North Carolina is pushing out some incredible Metalcore bands!

The second piece of proof was the second band to play, Embracing Goodbye. Hailing from Four Oaks, NC, this five-piece definitely has the Southern spirit in them, but they can put on one awesome show! Mixing older Heavy metal with today’s Metal, EG helped mix up the styles a bit and kept the show interesting. Much like Defy the Hunter, Embracing Goodbye put on an amazing show that was filled to the brim with energy! Guitarists Travis Avery and Josh Kelly joined bassist Erik “Easy” Huffman in “throwing” their guitars around while tearin’ it up. At one point, all three held their guitars over their heads to reveal the phrase “Bringin’ Sexy Back” posted on the backs of their guitars! It was great! While they were killin’ it on guitars, drummer Casey Allen also proved his excellent double-bass playing abilities and vocalist Paul Huffman showcased his incredible talents along with Travis’ vocal inputs. With all these elements added together, the show continued to make it’s way through the ranks to Secret Lives! Of The Freemasons.

The next stop along this Metalcore thrill ride was another Greensboro, NC band, Dead Eyes. Honestly, this band probably had the most interesting sounding element of the whole night…their screamer, Kyle! This guy’s scream was one of the weirdest thing I’ve EVER heard! Musically, however, Dead Eyes had it goin’ on! If you want to hear some HEAVY breakdowns, go see these guys live! Their breakdowns were massive! With those two elements included, these guys put on a great show and kept the night proving that Metalcore is alive on the East Coast.

The last band to play before SL!… was Akissforjersey from Pilot Mountain, NC. Althogh this band wasn’t my favorite of the whole night, I still enjoyed their set. These guys put on a good show despite loss of voice from vocalist Zach, who lost his voice recording the new album, and some electrical issues for guitarist Cory. Other than those two things, the set went great and I really wouldn’t mind seeing them again when they’re all at full strength.

Finally, it was time for Secret Lives! Of The Freemasons to take the stage! As they began their set, the crowd was small, but ready to go. SL!… played through a great set including songs off their brand new album such as “Mascara”, “The New Whack”, “Chug and Leave”, and “Life Begins at 40oz.”. Even though they were playing to a really small crowd and this was their first show since one of the members left the band, Secret Lives!… proved they still have what it takes to be a great band. Vocalist Brien was on top of his game all night as guitarists Tucker and Jim jammed on through the set. Bassist Josh and drummer Travis provided the backbone for the band through the whole set including two encore songs. Overall, their performance was great and I can’t wait to see them at their second record release show in their hometown, Asheboro, NC.

All in all, this show was definitely worth going to and I would suggest seeing any of these bands live if you get the chance! You’ll be glad you did!

Darkest Hour takes Wilmington venue by storm…

On February 1st, 2008, Victory Records band Darkest Hour headlined the second show of their current tour, The Doomsayers 2008 Tour with supporting bands Cephalic Carnage, Emmure , and Whitechapel. Having the interesting mix of styles in that small venue made for one explosive night!

The first band to hit the stage was Deathcore band, Whitechapel. Although Deathcore (or Death metal for that fact) is not my favorite style of music, I thought their set was pretty good. With the venue as packed as it was, it was hard to see what was really going on during their set, but they definitely seemed to have the makings for a good Deathcore band with pretty good stage presence. Again, they weren’t my favorite, but worth seeing if you’re into Deathcore or Death metal.

The next band to take the stage was Victory Records band, Emmure. These guys were pretty amazing on stage! Their music was great, their stage presence was awesome…this was a band worth seeing. If you saw these guys outside of a show, you might not actually think they were in a Metal band because of the way they dress and whatnot, but they easily proved that they have talent in the area of playing Metal while performing!

The third band to play that night was Death metal band, Cephalic Carnage. To be honest, I didn’t really like them at all! There was obvious talent in a couple of the members, but together they were HORRIBLE! It sounded like a bunch of noise. There was maybe one part in their entire performance that made any sense at all. I’m not just saying this because I’m not really a Death metal fan, but I am speaking from what I saw. However, some people who were there did like their set, so they must be doing something right. I didn’t see whatever it is they are doing right, but maybe it’s just me. Perhaps it was also a bit hard to look past the fact that two of the members looked old enough to be my dad!! The vocalist looked like a Death metal version of Carlos Santana with a beer gut! Oh well, it was only a wasted 30 minutes of life. I can go without that.

Finally, it was time for DARKEST HOUR!!! If there is one word that can describe their show, it’s AMAZING! This five-piece had everything it takes to be a great band. They had awesome music, great stage presence, top notch skills…they have it all. They really made it worth 3 hours of driving to go see them at their only NC stop on the tour. I was fortunate enough to catch up with them after the show to hang out for a few minutes and get an interview with their drummer, Ryan Parrish. In getting that interview, I found out that Ryan’s influences actually came from listening to Death metal when he was around the age of 12. these guys were awesome to see live and they’re all great guys to hang out with. If you ever get the chance to see them perform live, do it!

All in all, the whole night was great and I had a really good time being back in Wilmington to witness this great show!

Killswitch Engage tears the roof off the Lincoln Theatre…

On January 17, 2008, Roadrunner Records band Killswitch Engage headlined the eighth show of their current tour with supporting bands Every Time I Die and The Dillinger Escape Plan. The other band that was supposed to support KsE, Parkway Drive, could not attend the show after having wrecked their tour bus in South Carolina. Despite missing one band from the show, these three powerhouse bands put on an amazing show.

The first band to hit the stage was Metalcore band, Every Time I Die. As this five-piece from Buffalo came out, the venue just exploded with cheers from all the fans who were there. Having not heard too much of their music, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this band, but I was impressed with their material, talent, and their display of pure showmanship. Even having been changed to the first band to play this show, Every Time I Die put on a great show and definitely set the energetic mood for what was to come after their set.

The word “energetic” cannot even begin to describe the next band to take their deserved place on the stage. This second band to play was New Jersey’s own Metalcore band, The Dillinger Escape Plan. When I say “energetic” can’t describe this five-piece, I mean it. It was hard to keep up with these guys as they played. The band members were going everywhere and the crowd was going absolutely insane; this venue looked like a war zone as crowd members and band members alike were flying everywhere. Seeing vocalist Greg Puciato climb on top the of the venue speakers multiple times and guitarist Ben Weinman follow his lead near the end of the set was a spectacle that no one who likes Metal or Metalcore should ever have to miss out on. Having not heard too much of their material either, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was dually impressed with this band’s music and performance as well. And for a band to have music that was as energetic and changed as much as this band’s makes for quite a show; especially when the band’s and the music’s intensities match. All in all, an incredible band to witness live.

At last, Killswitch Engage took the stage by storm. The venue exploded with cheers and claps as they began their set. Hailing from Boston, MA, this five-piece band practically defines the genre Metalcore. Mixing the incredible vocals of Howard Jones with the extremely talented guitar riffs and solos by Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel, the heavy bottom by bassist Mike D’Antonio, and the powerful drums of Justin Foley, KsE has written and continues to perform great music that no one should never live life without hearing at least once. Having heard their music many times before, seeing them live once before, and viewing one of their live performances on DVD really set me up for the show, but you never know what will happen live. Playing through an incredible set including songs such as “Daylight Dies”, “The End of Heartache”, “This is Absolution”, and “My Curse” was another great experience for myself, but it did not completely satisfy audience members. Coming back for a 2 song encore, they played their awesome cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver” to end the whole night. Unfortunately, I was unable to converse with the band after the show, but if ever given the opportunity to see this band live again, I would take it any day.

To conclude what took place that awesome night, I have to say that if you’re ever given the chance to see any of these bands live (especially together), take it. Seriously. I promise you will regret not getting to see them if you turn it down.