Today is St. Petersburg, FL. Rainy morning, sunny afternoon
A GREAT day for a recap!
SAN DIEGO:
Day one. Pulling up to the loading dock at SOMA was a daunting drive as the number of vans, boxes, guitar cases, people, and sweaty smiles increased with each corner we turned.
Old friends - new friends, all meeting in the California heat, trying to organize their respective camps while trying to also meet all of the other bands. Seeing the beginning of the rubble turn into the daily production/routine we’ve now grown accustomed to was quite a site to see - banners from each band being created and built for the first time - unfolding the GIANT To Die For backdrop.
Everyone exchanged hands in introduction and in riotous applause as the sets began to roll, back-to-back-to-back. Everyone from THY WILL BE DONE to DEVILDRIVER took the stage with energy and enthusiasm - showing the 900+ San Diegons (San Diegoians?) how this tour rolls.
VERY HEAVILY!
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - HOUSE OF BLUES
The combination of the House of Blues and Hollywood make for a great boost for putting down some major road. The hospitality at HOB is wonderful: food, showers, friendly staff. The amount of people/bands on this tour really set in that day as we had half of the bands setting up merch displays OUTDOORS on the top of the hill on Sunset!
A few of us from Thrash and Burn and EMMURE explored the Guitar Center - got lost in a world of gear/shopping lists. Made a few friends at the Mesa Boogie store across the street, invited them to the show!
The sound at HOB was sick! It really came thorugh how much each band truly has to offer in the way of diverse metal/hardcore.
Thy Will Be Done - Totally unique, totally old-school. Chris rocks an older Wah Pedal, bringing the Black Album vibe to the tour. J Costa (AKA Christopher Walken)’s range of growling/screaming really runs the gamut.
Periphery - DC Pride! The technical prowess coupled with the dynamic vocals brings this band from left field to home base, every night. I especially like the At The Drive-In/Mars Volta vibe that newer kids probably attribute solely to Circa Survive.
OCEANO - Deathcore, yes. Brutality, YES! The ‘depths’ in which these pummeling lows and growls will take you are unimaginable. If you want to have your spleen ruptured by the low, low tones emerging from Adam’s vocal chords, please - stand by the monitors and be prepared to lose some bodily fluids. WE. ARE THE ANTIDOTE.
For The Fallen Dreams - Don’t be afraid to two-step and stage dive amid the mass of metalheads and raver-pants! The duality of riffs will urge you to flip off of the PA while also reveling in an epic and ambient world of what the new shape of hardcore/metalcore has become.
Veil Of Maya - So Young, So GOOD! If you haven’t seen the video for “It’s Not Safe to Swim Today,” stop reading and go to www.youtube.com and prepare yourself. From the moment the lights drop and the Cave-In esque riffs begin looping, you’ll realize there is no escaping.
Mychildren Mybride - “If you know the words, you’re a buncha nerds” - what more can I say? If you haven’t listened to this band yet - check out “Headshot” and sing along.
Despised Icon - Hailing from Canada - you should see these guys sweat it out in the TX heat. You should also see the amount of kids trying to headwalk/crowd-surf their way to TWO different singers/mics on stage nightly! Heavy, but with roots from old school hardcore. French-Canadian accents also make for hilarious “Dumb and Dumber” references.
EMMURE - One set from this band will convert you into a fan. Victory Records’ mosh champions are forging new ground with tracks off of Felony - dropping 8/18. This is an example of when keeping it real goes extremely well - with the addition of a member from Rise Records’ Recon, this band never misses a beat. Check them out on the Hard Knock Life Tour following Thrash and Burn.
DEVILDRIVER - Hearkening to the days of hard rock and heavy metal - long hair, sleeveless black shirts, and evil all the time. Every night, words of unity and brutality are spoken from the mouth of Dez Fafara - “This is a diverse, heavily line-up. Whether you are into hardcore or death metal, our roots are the same - blues, and punk rock!” Devildriver caps off every night of tour with an amazing performance and visual production. The aesthetic carries the torch from bands such as SAMHAIN, but with their own take on dark, heavy art. A site to be seen for a fan of any kind of metal.
