Concert Reviews
Memphis May Fire: Pittsburgh Show Review
A lot can be said for a band who respects the up and coming music scene. I pay mad respect to Memphis May Fire, who provided us with just that at their show in Pittsburgh this past Thursday Night. Whereas a lot of the shows I have covered in the past several years have, yes, at least allowed one local band to open up the show, Memphis had three local bands, and no one else. Drown the Deep, Tuesdays Too Late, and IRE, all shared the honor of representing the Pittsburgh Music Scene and to hype up the wall to wall crowd that took over The newest venue on Carson Street, The Enclave (for my local readers formerly The Rex.) Each Band had their own style, their own group of local support, but all shared the common theme of bringing down the house one after the other. I can most certainly say that I will definitely be checking out these bands more closely from here on out. Now, let’s move on to the main event.
Memphis May Fire, a metal group straight out of Nashville, TN, have most certainly had no problem making a name for themselves. Forming back all the way in 2006, the band has since released 8 full length albums, the latest being Remade in Misery, which was released in June of 2022. The band entered the stage Thursday night one by one, of course ending with the band’s frontman Matty Mullins. The set was made up of 13 songs, two of which were encore performances. Sticking with songs mainly from the latest album, the band opened up with the opening track “Blood & Water” and really got the crowd going. Along with the latest album, the band also played “The Old Me” which is off of the 2018 album Broken, “Vices” from the 2012 album Challenger, and finally closed out the show with a fan favorite from their 2011 album The Hollow, “The Sinner. What I enjoyed most about the performance was that the main focus was the music. No one was concerned too much with going in depth about each song, or taking time to tell a story in between, it was just the music, and I love bands who can put enough trust in their fanbase to already know what to expect out of a song and just be able to do what they love the most, and that is to provide the crowd with their music. Memphis May Fire most definitely holds a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to continue to see where the road may take them next
About Author
Concert Reviews
The Nothing That Is Tour
Another fall evening in the Burgh, the air was crisp and cool, setting the mood for a great night for metal. The Roxian in McKees Rock, PA, hosted The Nothing That Is Tour tonight, featuring Fit For An Autopsy. Bodysnatcher, Distant, Sylosisand, and Judiciary. Fit For An Autopsy brought some of the heaviest and nastiest together to throw down for all of you. An eclectic banding of hardcore and deathcore acts that are making waves in the metal community.
Judiciary kicked things off, their music a blend of hardcore, thrash, and punk. Their songs had thrash riffs with hardcore rhythms and breakdowns, with an occasional solo thrown in. With horns raised in the air, the crowd gave these Texas natives a well-received welcome. This band was a great start to the night, bringing the energy in the room up quickly.
Sylosis came out to a fury. Their vocalist ripped at the crowd from the start, asking for a circle pit as they kicked off. This band had moshers and crowd surfers amped up as waves of bodies started coming over the front barricade. Throughout the set, the energy never let up, as this band kept pushing the crowd. This energy came to a high when their newest single, “The Path,” was performed. High-paced hardcore mayhem throughout the set, this band had a vast amount of tricks in their bag, from solos to even groove to bring to the party.
At the midpoint of the show, Distant took the stage. This band is over-the-top heavy, riding low-tuned grooves into devastating breakdowns. The vocalist has a wide range, from high-pitched screams and growls to bottom-of-the-barrel gutturals. Distant announced their newest album, Tsukuyomi: The Origin, is a week away from coming out. Which kicked off the single “Torturous Symphony.” At this point, no one was standing still on the floor as moshers were on the move. Bodies colliding into each other until the band finally stopped, at this point the crowd was completely warmed up.
Deathcore veterans Bodysnatcher took the stage next to show Pittsburgh how to throw down. This band rides a low groove while keeping the energy high, accompanied by the unrelenting low growls of vocalist Kyle Medina. The band kicked off with “King of Rats” and went right into “Dead Rabbit.” The floor was swimming with bodies as the band raged on. Other standout songs were “Take Me to Hell” and “Black of My Eyes” before closing out on “Murder8.”
Headliners Fit For An Autopsy took the stage with a fury, kicking off with “Lower Purpose” into “A Higher Level of Hate” for a nasty one-two punch out of the gate. Seasoned veterans now in their careers, the band looked very polished and primed. FFAA just released their newest album, The Nothing That Is. The band played through several hits, “Black Mammoth”, “The Sea of Tragic Beasts”, and “Hellions”, before diving back into their latest album with “Hostage”. The crowd stayed up and moving through the set as Fit For an Autopsy is a Pittsburgh favorite, having visited the city several times during their tenure.
The Nothing That Is tour showcases some of the heaviest bands touring right now. Fit For An Autopsy have updated their live show and look ready to take the world fresh off the new album. If you are looking to release some steam or to hear some new music, The Nothing That Is tour will not disappoint.
About Author
Concert Reviews
STRYPER ON A SUNDAY. YES PLEASE
STRYPER was just in Baltimore the other day on the 40 years of Stryper tour. Playing 2 sets spanning those 40 years. I’ve only ever seen Stryper play at M3 so it was amazing to get to see a full on set then another full on set right after.
For the 1st set we got the 1984-1990 set which included songs like “Loud N Clear”, “Soldiers under Command” and “To Hell with the Devil”.
The second set we got 1986, 2004-2024 with songs like “No More Hell to Pay”, “This i Pray” and ending the night with “Sing along Song”.
It was a great night for Music and sadly more then likely the last show at RamsHead Live I’ll be ever to attend as the are closing their doors (hopefully will be open again with a new venture) but the show was amazing to see Stryper play on the stage. Such great guys and a great band. I love that Stryper is fully engaged with the fans and the show is always amazing. I love that they put their religious beliefs 100% on display but the show never feels preachy or judgmental. If you get a chance to see Stryper play in your city I fully recommend it such a great time and a great band to see play live.
About Author
Concert Reviews
King Diamond brought the Halloween party to Silver Spring MD
King Diamond who’s on tour now with Overkill and Night Demon.
Overkill always puts on a great show and shows that face pace thrash metal is still kick ass. Led by NJ’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth Overkill has that distinctive sound with Bobby’s high pitched and raspy vocals. With songs like “Scorched”, “ Rotten to the Core” and “Hello From the Gutter”, Overkill got the crowd into a frenzy and warmed up the stage before the king.
You know it’s gonna be a good night when it’s 3 days before Halloween and you get to see a kick ass set from King Diamond. King Diamond who’s 68 right now still commands that stage and sounds amazing with his insanely falsettos. The stage show at a King Diamond show is always such a great sight to see. With a multilayer setup of stairs and little pieces of elaborate set all over it’s such a great view and perfect setting to watch a King Diamond set.
The set list was amazing too we got to hear songs from such a great career like “A Mansion in the Darkness”, “Halloween “, “Spider Lilly”, “Welcome Home”, and “Eye of the Witch” and of course ending the night with “Abagail”.
If you’re a fan of King Diamond or just a fan of great music that adds that Halloween haunted asylum themed stage performances then you need to go out and check this tour now. King Diamond never disappoints and always puts on one hell of a show.
About Author
-
Concert Reviews1 year ago
Cradle of Filth/DevilDriver Baltimore Show Review
-
Empire Interviews1 year ago
Psychostick Interview w/ Matty J “Moose”
-
Concert Reviews1 year ago
Thrill Kill Kult: Soundstage Show Review
-
Concert Reviews1 year ago
Static X/Sevendust Lancaster Show Review
-
Concert Reviews1 year ago
Raven Black: The Black Hallows Tour: Lovedrafts Show Review