in hearts wake

Parkway Drive, Miss May I & Thy Art is Murder // Rickshaw Theatre

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November 3, 2015 - Oh the day has finally come.  I have waited since my early years in high school for metalcore kings Parkway Drive to come by with this amazing roster consisting of Miss May I and fellow Aussie acts Thy Art is Murder and In Hearts Wake.  

Upon arriving to the venue, I was flabbergasted when I saw that the line went almost a whole city block down hitting the corner of Main and Hastings.  Never have I seen a show so busy or hyped as this one for the Rickshaw Theatre!  Perhaps it was the fact that it was both sold out and all ages - regardless, due to the line-up I was unable to make it in in time (we were waiting for almost half an hour) for In Hearts Wake, so I apologize ahead of time.

Despite catching the tail-end of IHW, their setlist had changed up a bit since the last time they were here with Northlane and focused less on their latest release of Skydancer and was more Earthwalker focused.  Their super bass-heavy open power-chords got the crowd jumping, and even those who hadn't seen them before couldn't help but to "mother fucking bounce" to the beat.  Fan favourites "Survival", "Breakaway" and "Divine" really demonstrate the juxtaposition of clean and unclean vocals, rhythm versus melody.  It was a breath of fresh air when they closed with enlightening remarks to help preserve our environment - us humans belonging to the earth and not vice versa.

Up next was Thy Art is Murder, the only deathcore act on the night's roster.  TAIM consists of vocalist Chris "CJ" McMahon, guitarists Andy Marsh and Sean Delander, bassist Kevin Butler and drummer Lee Stanton.  These Aussies have had their success in the ARIA and AIR charts, reaching #1 on AIR and #2 and #4 on the US and Canada iTunes metal charts.  Controversial since day 1, they've been known for their misogynistic lyrics in their earlier days but still remain particularly anti-religion and anti-Christian.  

Between all the blast beats and crushing guitars; however, CJ kept the crowd on their toes - eventually landing on top of a bar before being dragged back to the stage.  His commentary on musicians needing weed to survive touring to naming the Rickshaw the second shittiest venue he's been to (the first being somewhere in South America) was priceless and gold.  With such a barrage of split-personas, CJ definitely is the cherry on top of the band.

Ohio's Miss May I is Levi Benton (vocals),  Justin Aufdemkampe (guitar/vocals), B.J. Stead (guitar/vocals), Ryan Neff (bass/vocals) and Jerod Boyd (drums/percussion).  Although I haven't personally gotten into them, they've established themselves as a staple in modern metalcore and are known to tear it up at festivals with their high energy.  Although not necessarily my cup of tea, the crowd just grew more and more wild as each band came on, MMI not being an exception!  The set list itself was pretty varied, taking in classics like "Hey Mister" to tracks of their latest album, Deathless.

And finally, Australian metalcore legends Parkway Drive arrived at the stage and the hype train was at full speed.  The show was built up for years coming and disappointment would be the last word I would use to describe this experience.  The pits were among the largest I've seen in a long time.

Starting with track one Destroyer off their latest studio effort Ire and streams of confetti led to more of the new album before switching to fan favourites like "Idols and Anchors" and even swapped out "Bottom Feeder" for the classic "Romance is Dead".  The show was made even better with lead guitarist Jeff Ling rocking out in a wheelchair due to a torn hamstring right before the tour's debut - it was either cancellation or dealing with it, and let's just say Parkway didn't disappoint.  Furthering this was frontman Winston McCall being the hypeman and getting the crowd constantly moving - never was there a moment of calm for their 13 song set.  

I have never been so happy to see a band in Vancouver since Architects in September 2014 or Ellie Goulding at the Commodore in 2013 (weird change of pace, I know).  The night exceeded any expectations I could have had, despite it being an all-ages show, knowing that everyone in the room was just as psyched as I was to see Parkway made it all that much better.

Setlists

In Hearts Wake

  1. Gaia (Intro)
  2. Earthwalker
  3. Survival (The Chariot)
  4. Badlands
  5. Healer
  6. Afterglow
  7. Breakaway 
  8. Divine

Thy Art is Murder

  1. Absolute Genocide
  2. Coffin Dragger
  3. Shadow of Eternal Sin
  4. The Purest Strain of Hate
  5. Reign of Darkness
  6. Light Bearer
  7. Holy War

Miss May I

  1. I.H.E.
  2. Relentless Chaos
  3. Bastards Left Behind
  4. Our Kings
  5. Deathless
  6. Masses of a Dying Breed
  7. Turn Back the Time
  8. Hey Mister

Parkway Drive

  1. Destroyer
  2. Dying to Believe
  3. Carrion
  4. Dark Days
  5. Karma
  6. Vice Grip
  7. Idols and Anchors
  8. Deliver Me
  9. Wild Eyes
  10. Romance is Dead
  11. Swing
  12. Crushed (Encore)
  13. Home Is For the Heartless (Encore)

Northlane & Guests // Rickshaw Theatre

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August 5, 2015 - Well the Rickshaw is seeming more and more like home.  As much as I hate the horrible lighting, most of my favourite bands seem to roll on through and the small hall turns into a rowdy scene of circle pits and crowd surfing every single time.  Stay tuned for the full review over at Beatroute written by my dear friend, Brendan Lee.  The following will be my synopsis of the show.  Everything was shot with a D610 and a 24-70 2.8.

First on the docket were local act ev0lution, a djent/EDM fusion band featuring members from Galactic Pegasus.  Although extremely catchy, I felt the energy was lacking as it seemed more atmospheric as opposed to throw-down, head-banging heavy.  I look forward to seeing them open for more local metal shows and upon the release of their EP.

Up next we had the British act Oceans Ate Alaska, specializing in progressive metalcore.  Although I didn't have too much time to check them out prior to the tour date, their live performance was HEAVY and so technically sound.  Fans were jumping around hardcore and headbanging (somehow) to the irregular time signatures and breakdowns of the band.  OAA is definitely an act I'm looking forward to see grow as they've only released one album, Lost Isles.  

Following the (tough to beat) performance by OAA, one of my favourite bands (and fellow UNFD labelmates) at the moment rolls on through.  In Hearts Wake fucking killed it.  Although the sound mixing wasn't on point, the crowd bounced at the breakdowns, sang along for the choruses and yelled at the top of their lungs with Jake Taylor.  Although they played a short set, IHW is a force to be reckoned with and has a very dedicated and quickly expanding fanbase.  I'm more than sure they will be headlining their own international tours sooner than later, especially with the positive reception of their latest record, Skydancer.

Following two incredible acts comes along Like Moths to Flames hailing from Columbus, Ohio.  I'm usually open to most acts of metal, but I felt like (alongside much of the metalcore community) that LMTF seems like the "stereotype" of what metalcore should be.  Most of their songs seemed generic to my ears and the breakdowns and crowd involvement seemed forced.  This point aside, however, frontman Chris Roetter had so much energy on stage and was constantly running back and forth, back and forth.  I wish I could say I loved the set but I would also be lying.

Lastly came headliners, Northlane, embarking on their first tour for the release of their album Node which had come out only two weeks prior.  This tour also features their newest vocalist, Marcus Bridge in place of former vocalist, Adrian Fitipaldes.  With this introduction comes a completely new sound that is mature but still so obviously Northlane.  Node debuted at #1 on the ARIA (Australia Recording Industry Association) charts overtaking metal veterans Lamb of God and pop-indie act Tame Impala.  It seems remarkable to me that metal has become so popular down under that it can overtake pop acts such as Meghan Trainor and Taylor Swift, even though their albums have been out for longer.  Northlane's performance; however, was remarkable consisting of songs across all three of their albums and Bridge did not fail to deliver.  Although missing a few high notes, their energy synergized so well with the crowd's and I found myself leaving my camera gear quickly to go mosh with my dear friends and sing along to singles such as Quantum Flux, Dream Awake, Dispossession and Rot. 

Setlists

Oceans Ate Alaska

  1. Blood Brothers
  2. Vultures & Sharks
  3. Floorboards
  4. To Catch a Flame
  5. X-Ray Eyes
  6. Clocks

In Hearts Wake

  1. Aether (Intro)
  2. Skydancer
  3. Badlands
  4. Survival (The Chariot)
  5. Healer
  6. Divine
  7. Breakaway

Like Moths to Flames

  1. You Won't Be Missed
  2. A Feast for Crows
  3. I Solemnly Swear
  4. The Worst in Me
  5. Bury Your Pain
  6. Learn Your Place
  7. What's Done is Done
  8. Something to Live For
  9. GNF

Northlane

  1. Obelisk
  2. Quantum Flux
  3. Scarab
  4. Leech
  5. Ohm
  6. Rot
  7. Soma
  8. Node
  9. Impulse
  10. Dream Awake
  11. Dispossession
  12. Weightless
  13. Masquerade (Encore)