A night of chaos, death metal and metalcore, mosh pits, crowd surfing, stage dives, and non stop metal.
Creeping Death a local death metal group from Denton, Texas brought the madness to the stage. They sure do not disappoint when they come to town. They played some heavy hitting songs like, Bloodlust Contamination, Intestinal Wrap, The edge of Existence, and the last song called The Common Breed from the latest album Boundless Domain.
The next group that hit the stage was The Acacia Strain, Albany New York’s best deathcore band. They brought there best out to Dallas and fired it up like it was no one’s business with there songs, Carbomb, The Hills Have Eyes, Dr.Doom, Beast, and Skynet. This set was accompanied many stage divers and a giant most pit! The energy was intense, even after they got off the stage.
It’s been 4 years, FOUR YEARS, since Montreal, Quebec’s finest deathcore band, Despised Icon tore up the dance floor, and the stage. Being a fan of this band, I was just as amped up as the rest of the crowd. They came in with there best tracks, Snake In The Grass, The Aftermath, Beast, MVP, and a real banger of a song called Purgatory.
The headlining act. came all the way from Marlboro, Maryland, a technical death metal band, better known as Dying Fetus. They are a force to be reckoned with coming with some deep heavy hard drums, vocals and ear melting guitar riffs. From there old school tracks to the new bangers. The setlist included: Fixated On Devastation, Subjected To A Beating, Unbridled Fury, Grotesque Impalement, but let’s not forget these last two that got the crowd losing their minds, From Womb To Waste and Wrong One To Fuck With.
Overall it was a crazy night, with incredible performances from all the bands that played tonight.
Polaris’ The Fatalism Tour plowed through town on Halloween night, at the amazing Echo Lounge & Music Hall. Can you say they delivered with an amazing set? You bet your sweet Halloween candy they did. In true Texas fashion, they came to the stage wearing Buc-ee the Beaver onesies, form the world famous store Buc-ees. From that point forward it was on!!
They opened with their first song from there new album Fatalism entitled, Harbinger. Starting with a smooth intro and onto a face punching riff to get this Dallas crowd going. Making the mosh pits go hard and the crows jump go harder. It didn’t stop there, next they played Nightmare, and from there the energy went sky high and blew the roof right off. Jamie Hails vocal energy that had the fans literally stretching passed the barricade screaming and singing the lyrics with him.
After they played their fourth song of the set they took a little breather. Asking if the crowd wants more, they happily obliged and dug deep too their 2017 debut album The Mortal Coil, with the first song off that album, called Lucid. It was just pure energy from the back to the front, including the second level of the venue. You can feel the passion as Polaris performs.
Two more songs in Polaris dedicated their next song Martyr to the memory of there guitarist Ryan Slew. He passed away June 19, 2023, the crowd clapped and cheered loud with the load roar of chants of Ryan’s name. Emotions took over and they delivered a powerful performance.
Filled with emotion and passion they played song after song, but they weren’t done yet! Beginning the close out, with the first encore song being Pray for Rain, from their album The Death of Me. Crowd surfers flying over a fast paced mosh pit, fans head banging and singing along with the band that it was like they were just getting started all over again. However, they were not leaving Dallas without giving it the last blow from down under with the song The Remedy. WOOO!!!!! It’s all I can say cause holy hell this band was giving it all and left it all on that stage. Freaking amazing way to close out Halloween night in Dallas Texas.
I was first introduced to The Gaslight Anthem in 2013 by my boyfriend, my go-to source for my personal music education. I fell in love with lead singer Brian Fallon’s poetic lyricism; I’ve always been a sucker for a song lyric that can stick in your head while stabbing you in the heart. The GaslightAnthem is a New Jersey rock band that in many ways seems like a sound from another era, an ensemble that somehow (thankfully) missed a change in mainstreammusic, staying with a 70s sound similar to Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, or The Steve Miller Band.
Their fall tour promoting History Books, their first single in nine years, stopped by The Factory in Chesterfield, MO on Saturday, September 23, along with Catbite and Donovan Woods.
The night opened with Catbite, a Philadelphia based ska band, fronted by lead singer Brittany Luna. Their energetic sound reminded me of the rawness I remember from the late 90s/early 2000s garage bands (in the best of ways) and had a definite No Doubt “Tragic Kingdom” vibe, bouncy but raw. When Britt slowed down for “Bad Influence”, she was able to show off the soulfulness in her voice, a fantastic contrast to the upbeat ska punk of the rest of the set.
Following Catbite was Donovan Woods, a folk singer-songwriter from Canada, whose baseball cap, beard, and build completely juxtaposed his soft voice and heartfelt lyrics. Donovan’s music gave the feel off people-watching outside a coffee shop; just small snippets of other people’s lives. Enough to pique my interest and make me wonder where their story goes when the music ends. Interspersed between his songs Donovan bantered with the audience, laughing with them as he told stories like deciding on a “short walk” to a Whole Foods he saw was “just across the park” (the park being St. Louis’s Forest Park, a 1,326 acre park that’s roughly one and half times the size of New York’s Central Park), or commenting that his ballad “Clean Slate”, a popular pick for weddings, is “better for a second wedding, since you don’t usually have much money for music for your second one.”
The Gaslight Anthem kicked off their set with “45”, bringing the energy back up, a house party vibe that carried through the night. Brian Fallon told stories about the band’s career between his songs, giving a peek into their 15 years together.
Gaslight’s new song, History Books, was fourth in the set, an emotional song about ending relationships. The new track, one of ten on their new album, features fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen. The album, History Books, will be available October 27, 2023.
To start off the night on Kamelot’s tour, comes Xandria. A German symphonic metal band. With lead vocalist Ambre Vourvahis, rhythm guitar and keyboardist Marco Heubaum, bassist Tim Schwarz, and drummer Dimitrios Gatsios. Let me say this from a personal perspective. Wow! Simply put you have to hear it, see it, and witness it to understand the passion behind this band and how amazing they are from beginning to end truly incredible, with some pretty awesome added bonus that the singer does just all around amazing.
You ever heard a symphony orchestra? Now add some metal vocals with clean screams with the blasting sounds of the drums and shredding and solo sounds of ear pounding guitars, now add some POWER!! Well put that all together and you have a band called Kamelot. From start to finish this band gave everything they had and more to deliver and amazing show here at the Echo Lounge and Music Hall in Dallas Texas.
What a way to start the set coming in their song Veil of Elysium from their 2015 album Haven. Tommy with his smooth and powerful vocals gave the fans exactly what they wanted the passion in the song and the way the band played the crowd was just electric and you could feel it. To make the song just as intense Kamelot had special guest vocalist Melissa Bonny from Ad Infinitum. Personally can i say… Wow what a singer,
Cannot forget how amazing guitarist Thomas Youngblood how he was just shredding all the songs and how well Sean Tibbetts delivered some amazing bass work. But turned up a bit more once they hit the fifth song Opus of the Night, from their new album The Awakening. The drum work and keyboarding from both Alex Landenburg and and Oliver Palotai. Again an amazing display of power metal with the symphonic sounds.
As the night rolled on Kamelot frontman Tommy slowed it down with Song for Jolee. Tommy again showed how good and beautiful his vocals are. Such a beautiful song and well played by Oliver Palotai, but just when you think it can’t get any better here comes Alex, Thomas, and Sean to give the big finish to such a beautiful song. What a band and they are just amazing and just keep on giving.
To end their incredible set in Dallas they finished with the top hit Liar Liar, from their album Haven. What a way to finish an amazing night displaying once again how great this band is incorporating symphonic sounds with the intensity of power metal. The solo Thomas hits us with is nothing short of incredible, just truly incredible. Oh and it doesn’t stop there, oh no it doesn’t bring back Melissa to show how great a vocalist she is but then hits you with guttural vocals you didn’t expect to hear. What a set. What a night. What an incredible night.
I haven’t heard of Meisha and the Spanks before, but they were a pleasure to discover. They were very punk rock and even just as a 2 piece band, absolutely rocked the huge stage!
Flatliners was great! They really knew how to hype up the crowd. The whole lineup for this show really featured a different range of rock music and Flatliners really rode that line closer to ska! I don’t see many ska bands these days, but after seeing Flatliners, I would love to see more ska around.
Comeback Kid needs no introduction, an absolutely incredible hardcore band that I’ve seen a handful of times and I always look forward to them every single time they play in Winnipeg. Big energy on stage, lots of hyping up the crowd, definitely some killer pits, getting to shoot them was a dream for me and this whole show I was able to produce some of the best photos I took to date.
And last, but definitely not least, Billy Talent was undeniably great. Despite being in the scene for a long time, they STILL bring a ton of energy and hype to their performance. I loved getting to see them and reminiscing about being thirteen and hearing them for the first time. It was the first time I got to see them live and the Burt Block Party was a great way to see them. Big bands playing outdoors really make you think about how awesome summer really can be, even as an adult.
Date: 8-3-23 at The Observatory Orange County in Santa Ana, CA
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to 2013 when Blessthefall performed on the mainstage at Vans Warped Tour in Ventura, CA. The band had just released their latest album, “Hollow Bodies,” via Fearless Records. Fast-forward to the present day and Blessthefall have announced their 10th-anniversary tour for this iconic album. The tour includes their first shows in almost four years and features Caskets, Kingdom of Giants, and Dragged Under, all of which I’ve seen and photographed before. The concert was a remarkable experience from start to finish.
Dragged Under from Seattle, Washington, was up first to the stage. I first saw and photographed the band in 2021 when they opened for Beartooth and Wage War, then again on their headliner in 2022 with support from Rivals. These guys are perfectly described as the middle ground between post-hardcore and metalcore. The band played a 6-song set of songs from both albums, “Upright Animals” and “The World Is In Your Way” equally. Anthony Cappocchi is an absolute beast of a frontman and got the crowd going. Guitarists Sean Rosario and Chris Namoc brought the energy with some heavy riffage and lots of jumping. Drummer Dylan Roy held down the fort with his incredible drumming prowess. I’m so glad I could see and photograph these guys again. Get to the show early to see these guys!
SETLIST
Instability
Suffer
Brainwash Broadcast
Upright Animals
Chelsea
Hypochondria
Kingdom of Giants was next to the stage, hailing from Sacramento, California. This was my fourth time seeing the sextet (although they play live as a quintet), and they did not disappoint. Playing a 7-song set, the band mainly played songs from their 2020 album “Passengers,” released via SharpTone Records, and their new single “Wasted Space.” I was stoked to finally hear songs like “Burner” and “Two Suns” in a live setting. Vocalist Dana Willax has never sounded better live, showcasing a mixture of cleans and screaming. The band’s new bassist Justin Roebuck-Joseph absolutely SLAYS with the band. He did not have an easy job jumping in for the previous bassist and clean vocalist, Jonny Reeves, but he did not disappoint. Guitarists Julian Perez and Red Martin destroyed it on stage with many headbangs and riffage galore. Closing out the band’s lineup is drummer Truman Berlin, a powerhouse on that stage, calling out to the crowd between songs and getting people excited. This was my first time not seeing guitarist Max Bremer with the band, but I know he’d be so proud of these guys for how well they performed. Kingdom of Giants is truly a band you do not want to miss!
SETLIST
Burner
Night Shift
Wasted Space
Two Suns
Sync
Bleach
Wayfinder
Caskets from Leeds, England, came up next as direct support. This was my second time seeing the British quintet, the first being in May of 2022. Seeing them get a more extended set on this tour was fantastic, playing a 9-song set showcasing songs from each of their three releases. Vocalist Matt Flood shines on that stage, really getting the crowd going. One thing that always stands out to me whenever I see Caskets live is how happy bassist Chris McIntosh is to be on stage with a big bright smile shining from ear to ear. Guitarists Benji Wilson and Craig Robinson provided the heavy riffage that contrasts the synth-heavy melodies that genuinely give the band their signature sound. Drummer James Lazenby helps create the foundations of the band’s songs with intricate drum patterns. It’s been so cool to see the trajectory of this band, and I cannot wait to see where their upcoming album “Reflections” takes them. They were an excellent choice to be direct support for this tour!
Guiding Light
Hold Me Now
Drowned In Emotion
More Than Misery
Too Late
The Only Ones
Lost In Echoes
Falling Apart
Glass Heart
The all-mighty Blessthefall from Phoenix, AZ, came up next. To say this set meant a lot to me would be an understatement. The band played “Hollow Bodies” in its entirety for their first show in almost four years, with additional songs as well. Songs like “Exodus,” “You Wear A Crown But You Are No King,” “Hollow Bodies,” and “Youngbloods” truly showcase the dueling vocals of Beau Boken and bassist Jared Warth. A very cool moment was when Beau Boken’s wife, Lights, came out to perform the final song from Hollow Bodies, “Open Water,” which was quickly a highlight of the night. Guitarists Eric Lambert and Elliott Gruenberg shredded. The songs on this album have a rather djenty feel, which, as many know, is one of my favorite metal styles. The band brought along with them touring drummer Jared Fron who destroyed those intricate drum parts with precision. As a bonus, the band played their newest single, “Wake The Dead,” along with songs from their 2008 release, “Witness,” and a song from their 2018 release, “Hard Feelings.” The lighting the band brought with them this time was easily some of the best I’ve seen them with and genuinely added to the experience. Blessthefall has always been one of my favorite bands, so seeing and photographing them again after so long meant the world to me!
SETLIST
Exodus
You Wear A Crown But You Are No King
Hollow Bodies
Déjà Vu
Buried In These Walls
See You On The Outside
Youngbloods
Standing On The Ashes
Carry On
The Sound Of Starting Over
Open Water
ENCORE
Wake The Dead
Cutthroat
2.0
What’s Left Of Me
Hey Baby, Here’s That Song You Wanted
Blessthefall’s 10th Anniversary Tour kick-off show was an absolute fever dream. Every band brought the energy tenfold and made it a stellar time. I cannot believe this album is now ten years old! It’s honestly crazy how fast time flies. This tour is still going on, so make sure to attend if there is a date close to you!
Date: July 25 2023 Venue: The Louisville Palace Theater Louisville, KY Review
Playground 2023 KARD World Tour | Fandom Name: Hidden Kard
KARD Members: J.SEPH(Kim Tae Hyung or 제이셉/김태형), BM(Matthew Kim/Kim Jin Seok or 비엠/김진석), Somin(Jeon So Min or 소민/전소민), Jiwoo(Jeon Ji Woo or 지우/전지우)
Kard opened with their newest EP single “Icky” from the 6th mini album, followed by “Without You” from the 6th mini album “Icky”. They took a break from their performances of those two songs to say their hellos and talk a little bit with Hidden Kards’.
They got ready for some more jammed packed performances in the jaw-dropping historical Louisville Palace Theater. It was built in the 1920s and is one of the most mesmerizing venues I’ve been to, from the grand lobby to the intricately adorned balconies and stairwells to the vaulted ceilings with the “Spanish Baroque” architecture.
BM had asked what the best-fried chicken was and there were many answers being said but I remember it being “Lees” was the winner of best KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). BM asked how everyone was doing with the heat since it was almost 100° in Louisville, KY while Hidden Kard was waiting in line for who knows how long before doors opened at 6:00 pm EST. BM said that he would rather be naked, buck naked because of the heat. Somin and Jiwoo said that they liked the AC/Fan. J.SEPH said he would run the AirCon and the fan.
The lighting for the show was vibrant with all of their songs. They played “Ring The Alarm” from their 5th mini album ‘Re:’, “Hola Hola” from their 1st mini album “Hola Hola” and “Oh NaNa” from their single K.A.R.D. Project Vol.1 “Oh NaNa”. About midway through the show, they showed some photos from the group’s early days. BM commented that he looked young and wanted that photo to go away and tried to swat at it to get to pretend that it wasn’t there and said he was wearing a bib because he kept getting food on himself. While Somin pointed at it and everyone else laughed WITH BM.
Somin and Jiwoo’s stage was next with “Fxxk You” from the 6th mini album. BM was up next with “LIE” from his solo single “Lost in Euphoria”. The visual effects and the lighting made it feel like you are under the stars with the atmosphere in the venue followed by his single “Broken Me” which had more of a dark storm feel with the lightning in the BG. BM had invited J.SEPH back on stage for their song “Been That Boy” off of the 6th mini album the visual effects in the background were a forset that kind of reminded me of a mix of Harry Potter and Twilight but on a different level since there was BM’s abs on mostly full display. The BG effects also had a Matrix feel to it with the glitch and had the words like a lyric music video feel. The single “Rumor” from K.A.R.D. Project Vol.3 “Rumor” and Kard took a breather for the last half of the show and they read some of the fan’s signs and took some of the fan’s gifts they had for them.
Someone had made 4 crowns for the members out of playing cards. Some of the signs were “HOT GIRLS LOVE J.SEPH”, and “BAD BITCHES LOVE KARD” BM asked if everyone felt like a bad bitch and was met with loud screams, and “J.SEPH KFC DATE?” J.SEPH’s response was “HELL YEAH!”
The last half of the show started with “Break Down” from the album “Re:” which is a song that BM had said that Hidden probably remembers from a breakup and said for everyone to treat their significant others’ with care. The song is heartfelt and full of hurt while writing and it felt emotional for me live. There was an amazing ASL Translator rocking out to the music with them. They followed with “Gunshot” from the 1st single “Way With Words” which is one of my personal favorite songs from them when it came out a few years ago. “Bomb Bomb” from their 1st Digital Single. “Bomb Bomb” is a super upbeat and fun song that just makes you want to get up and dance with the little Latin flavor and a little flash of BM’s abs again (not that I was complaining).
They took a few minutes to each give their thank yous before the end of the show. Let me just talk about “CAKE” for a second….babes it’s a song about cake 100% for sure….moving on. The BG had police tape with CAKE on the tape and some glitching word CAKE in red and blue which I thought added back into from before with “Been That Boy” and the glitching style text almost like a TikTok style and some flames because it was FUEGO. The single “Dumb Litty” is by far my favorite, the dance, music, and the almost grunge style for the BG affects gave it a 90s hip-hop vibe turned to graffiti. By the end of the song they got more into the atmosphere of the crowd and they were W.I.L.D.
KARD gave the fans what they wanted which was the encore. Starting with EP “Ride on the Wind” from their 3rd mini album which is an upbeat, soft song that you want to Ride on the Wind to but still has a beat you can dance to from the beats in BG of the song. They brought out a Will of Song and whatever song it landed on they would play. There was Enemy, Go Baby!, Hola Hola, and Red Moon. Somin spun the Will of Song with a very determined look on her face and Red Moon ‘won’ the spin. EP 4th mini album “Red Moon” went in a slightly different sound for this album and it’s on the sexy side and they do it with such grace and charm. The song still has that Latin flavor. Now the song live sounds maybe 1 or 2 octaves lower than the Studio Version. The last song was “Icky” again for the fans to learn/already know the dance to the song just for the one part for them to record and post on SNS wrapping up the night of a sweet WILD bliss until next time.
Kard isn’t considered the “normal” standard for groups because they are a CO-ED (boy/girl) group. They really do have a well-rounded group put together. So please give them a chance, listen to their songs, and catch them at a tour date near you on their World Tour.
On July 24, post-hardcore supergroup L.S. Dunes and brought the heat(wave) to Milwaukee, with a sold-out show at the Rave. The crowd was packed tight into the Rave bar as it became closer to showtime. The crowd was an eclectic group, consisting of a broad age range, from teens to “elder emos” like myself. Pinkshift took the stage first, energizing the crowd immediately with their 90s grunge, 2000’s pop-punk sound. I had not heard of them before this show but had listened to a few of their songs on the way to the show and was elated to see that they were incredibly active with the crowd and so full of energy for their entire set, even with the heat of the room. They were also incredibly reactive when someone in the crowd passed out, stopping immediately and calling for staff to get the person help. They certainly gained more than a few new fans in Milwaukee, including myself! Pinkshift continues the tour with L.S. Dunes through August 11 and then they make their way across the pond on their Britshift (+Belgium) tour from 8/19- 8/27, returning to the US for some short runs with Thursday and then Hawthorne Heights in September.
You could feel the anticipation grow as the time for L.S. Dunes to take the stage grew closer. The heat in the room was immense and the only saving grace was an enormous fan, blowing into the room from one entrance and the water that was passed out between sets. When they took to the stage, the crowd exploded with energy as everyone surged forward with excitement. I don’t think the crowed slowed down at all throughout their 12-song set. The crowd tried to convince them to do a second encore, but like they said to the crowd, they “only have 12 songs.” The band continues their tour through August 11th . Followed by joining Pierce The Veil on the Jaws of Life Tour next, from November 4th until December 8th.
If you thought St Louis couldn’t get any hotter, you weren’t at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Tuesday night, July 25th. G-Unit headliner 50 Cent lit up the stage with support from Busta Rhymes and Jeremih. The Final Lap Global Tour is in celebration of the 20th anniversary of his debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin”, and is plugged as his last tour ever.
Opening the show was Jeremih, whose short set kicked off with his hit, Planez, brought to life by his backup dancer taking the role of flight attendant.
The set was followed by Busta Rhymes, with longtime hype man Spliff Starr, covering classics like Ante Up and Break Ya Neck, as well as covers, including a cover of Don’t Cha by The Pussycat Dolls.
50 seemed to be having a great time as he played some of his biggest hits from his earlier years for the packed partying audience, including Candy Shop, Magic Stick, In Da Club, and P.I.M.P.
The Final Lap Tour continues through North America through September, then takes to Europe, beginning in Amsterdam September 28th. Below are upcoming tour dates:
As an album opener, I think it sets a good pace for the rest of the EP. It’s very melodic while still fitting into the pop punk genre. Not as catchy as some of the other songs, lyrically, but the instrumentals really help keep you engaged in the song.
You Mean to Tell Me a Head of Lettuce Sunk This Ship?
This song really grabs my attention right away with the first few notes and as we get into the lyrics it slowly picks up. It’s slower paced than the song before but it’s still keeping my attention. At 2:08 it really picks up in beat while still keeping that melodic tone within the voice that follows through the rest of the EP.
Alter Ego
We return with some high energy instrumentals compared to what we’ve heard so far on top of having lyrics that are rhythmic and would make it easy for a crowd to engage with, this would definitely be a song I would look forward to hearing if I ever got a chance to see them live.
Chin Up, Champ!
We slow it down again with this one, but it still keeps those catchy vibes. This is what I would consider the slowest paced song on the album. The first couple lines of lyrics feeling very powerful and it’s conveyed throughout the song
I Found a Date for the Holidays
The closing sounds very much like Modern Baseball, which the band takes a lot of inspiration from as it’s highlighted on their TikTok. That inspiration makes itself present in this song by sounding like an instant anthem that’s begging to be screamed out every time it comes on
Overall,
The name of the album “Get Well Soon”, reminds me of the kind of feelings you’d have while going through a hard time and the songs lyrically would remind me of what I would sound like talking myself through it. It’s not often you see a whole set of songs encompass the same theme or feelings but that is the vibe I got from this whole EP right down to the album artwork.
I found the transitions between the songs to be smooth and natural, not trying to be too hard and flowing well into one another. I like that there are dynamic variations within the instrumentals and the harmonizing throughout the songs and I think that comes from the inspirations within the pop punk genre not unlike Modern Baseball (as mentioned earlier) but I find Savings still has a sound that makes them unique.
Each release is better than the next and I am always looking forward to new music from Savings.
The Camera Affect 