Concert Reviews

The Pain Remains Tour:Pittsburgh Review

Published

2 years ago

November 20, 2022

As the packed crowd waited to enter The Roxian Theater in McKees Rocks on the last US date of The Pain Remains tour you could feel an energy in the air. People were lined up and down the block eagerly awaiting a chance to see their favorite bands perform tonight. What a show they will see, a list of all killers for the night with headliners Lorna Shore, and guests Aborted, Ingested, Angelmaker, and Ov Sulfur; it would be a headbangers and moshers paradise for the night. Each band has their own distinctive take on death metal and deathcore; from heavy slams to intricate melodies, and even blistering solos, all ends of the spectrum would be covered tonight.

Ov Sulfur took the stage first. Lead by Vocalist Ricky Hoover, formally of the band Suffokate brought their style of blacken deathcore to the Pittsburgh crowd. A few technical issues cut into the first songs of their set but that didn’t stop the crowd from throwing down during the set. Heavy lows and screaming highs set the background as the band’s music had a relentless grind throughout the set. A standout during the set was the performance of their newest single “Stained in Rot”, released in late October; the song is a barn-burner churning away as moshers were starting to get their bearings for the night.

Angelmaker took the stage and demanded the crowd’s attention from the first minute. This Canadian outfit has a duo vocalist assault with Mike Greenwood, and Casey Tyson- Pearce belting out everything from gutturals to high pitched screams. Paired with three guitarists in veterans Matt Perrin and Colton Bennett and newest addition Johnny Ciardullo of Carcosa, who joined the band in early 2020. Angelmaker throws everything at you from heavy breakdowns, the fast grinds, to soaring melodies, and even the kitchen sink. Live the band dominates the stage, putting on one of the best performances of the night. Vocalist Casey Tyson- Pearce even spanned the photo pit to get in with the crowd standing on top of the barricade during the set. This band continues to raise expectations every time I see them live and delivers tenfold with their performances.

Ingested took the stage next, their sigil was marked across the stage and backdrop as the Slam King from Slamchester held court this night. Vocalist Jason Evans was ever the presence this night, pacing the stage utilizing every inch to engage with the crowd. Even demanding a “Wall of Death” during the set which saw the crowd part and slam back together as the band kicked in. Notably on this tour the band was joined by Miles Dimitri Baker of Voidbringer/Interloper on guitar. He is one of the best in the business and was a well-deserved addition to their live set. The band set was scattered with songs from their newest album Ashes Lie Still which was released earlier this November.

Aborted was up next, following all these heavy hitters these seasoned veterans brought their own blend of cosmic gore and horror to the masses. Their set showcased the best of their previous releases from Retrogore through ManiaCult. Their stage dressing had two cabinets of curiosities, which held what I could only describe as David Cronenberg inspired monstrosities. The music is blazing fast and very technical, guitar solos and grinds in abundance. The band not to be outdone by Ingested, asked for their own wall of death which saw the venue collide amongst itself before the band kicked into ManiaCult. Vocalist Sven de Caluwe got into the action ramping up the crowd as he paced the stage and even at points mimicked a machine gunner chopping down the crowd as a cascade of crowd surfers were coming over the barricade.

Headliners Lorna Shore closed out the night, the success of this tour is coming off the back of their latest and highly celebrated release Pain Remains that has been charting since its release on October 14^th, having seen every show sold out. This is a pivotal success not only for deathcore but metal in general as it shows the genre still has a huge listening pool and continues to push against the grain of what is popular music today. Many in the crowd careened to get closer to see vocalist Will Ramos belt out his distinct style of gutturals. Paired with the intricate guitar styling of Adam De Micco and Andrew O’Connor and the blistering drumming of Austin Archey, the band was a force to be reckoned with onstage. The music paired with fog and quick light changes were a over stimulation of the senses as the audio assault played on. The band played through several notable singles, including “Sun//Eater” and “To the Hellfire” before an encore of “Pain Remains” parts 1 through 3 to close out their set.

This being the last night of the US tour, the bands will continue into Canada to finish out. If you were able to attend this tour, you were in for some very special moments. Each band on the bill is unique on their own but this collaboration was one of the best tours I have witnessed. If you are a fan of heavy music I high suggest you check out all of these bands for you are sure to find something new and fantastic to spark your ears.

About Author

George Archibald

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Concert Reviews

The Nothing That Is Tour

Published

3 days ago

November 18, 2024

George Archibald

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

George Archibald

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Concert Reviews

STRYPER ON A SUNDAY. YES PLEASE

Published

1 week ago

November 13, 2024

Ron

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

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Concert Reviews

King Diamond brought the Halloween party to Silver Spring MD

Published

3 weeks ago

November 2, 2024

Ron

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.