Symphony X & Overkill // Vogue Theatre

October 2, 2015 - Ah, a return to the Vogue.  I'm still a bit salty about not being let in for the last show due to some staff disregarding my email confirmations from BOTH the promoter and record label for the Eluveitie, the Agonist and Marina Edoff (originally Epica) concert as well as my name clearly being labelled on the press list.  Regardless I have returned for more metal and with fewer complications (they have since apologized).

First up on the docket was Symphony X, a progressive metal band hailing from Middletown, New Jersey.  They've been praised among the more technical side of the metal community and have even appeared on the Billboard 200 with 2011's Iconoclast.  Despite being prog at it's core, they're also known for their symphonic and traditional heavy metal influences.  The show in itself was quite theatrical with the lighting, the smoke and the vibe that the band, particularly frontman, Russell Allen, protruded.  It wasn't necessarily high energy but it felt very appropriate for the style of music that they make, almost dream-like and theatre-esque.

Their latest record, Underworld, was released in July.

Co-headlining the tour are thrash icons, Overkill, also from New Jersey.  The band has been headbanging since 1980 and have gone through an onslaught of different guitarists and drummers, with only vocalist Bobby Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni being the consistent members.  Overkill has been referred to as one of the pioneers of East Coast thrash alongside legends Anthrax, as well as the "Motorhead of thrash."  Although I couldn't stay for the whole show due to a 4AM shift the next morning, the band put out what you'd expect from thrash: balls-to-the-wall energy, keeping in line with the fast tempo and overall aggression of the genre.

Overkill's latest album, White Devil Armory, was released in 2014.

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Setlist

Symphony X

1. Nevermore
2. Underworld
3. Without You
4. Kiss of Fire
5. Charon
6. To Hell and Back
7. Of Sins and Shadows
8. Serpent's Kiss
9. Eve of Seduction
10. Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies)
11. Iconoclast (Encore)
12. The Imperial March (Outro - John Williams/Star Wars)

Overkill

1. Armorist
2. Hammerhead
3. Electric Rattlesnake
4. Powersurge
5. Rotten to the Core
6. Bring Me the Night
7. End of the Line
8. Hello From the Gutter
9. Bitter Pill
10. Overkill
11. Ironbound
12. Playing with Spiders/Skullkrusher (Encore)
13. Elimination (Encore)
14. Fuck You (Encore - The Subhumans cover)

Chris Cornell // Orpheum Theatre

September 30, 2015 - Well, I'm kinda surprised I snagged this one!  I was beyond excited to shoot this until I arrived and learned it was a soundboard shoot...

For those who don't know, you're usually stuck back somewhere in the middle/back of the venue using a telephoto lens (if you have one) and are not in the photo pit in the front where you usually find photographers.  I was using my D7000 (which is a crop factor camera) turning my 70-200 into a 105-300.  And even at 300mm, Cornell was hella far away.  Even after cropping my images, it's hard to create images with a decent resolution.  

Regardless, I'll share the few images I have below.  Especially with an acoustic set, it's hard to get variation between shots.  I wish I could have stayed for the whole set but with certain promoters, you're kicked out after the first three songs and aren't allowed to stay and enjoy the show.  The setlist below was beyond phenomenal and I really wish I had gotten a ticket but it had sold out pretty quickly.

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Setlist (courtesy of setlist.fm)

1. Before We Disappear
2. Can't Change Me
3. Moonchild
4. The Times They Are A-Changin' (Bob Dylan)
5. As Hope & Promise Fade
6. Nearly Forget My Broken Heart
7. Fell on Black Days (Soundgarden)
8. Thank You (Led Zeppelin)
9. Hunger Strike (Temple of the Dog)
10. Wide Awake (Audioslave)
11. Doesn't Remind Me (Audioslave)
12. Blow Up The Outside World (Soundgarden)
13. Let Your Eyes Wander 
14. Call Me a Dog (Temple of the Dog)
15. When I'm Down
16. Worried Moon
17. Rusty Cage (Soundgarden)
18. Sunshower
19. Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden)
20. Like A Stoke (Audioslave)
21. Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince)
22. Wooden Jesus (Temple of the Dog)
23. Getaway Car (Audioslave)
24. Imagine (John Lennon)
25. Seasons
26. Josephine (Encore)
27. I Am the Highway (Encore - Audioslave)
28. Higher Truth (Encore)

The Subliminal Criminals Tour // The Cobalt Pub

September 29, 2015 - Oh hey, a new venue to explore!  This is my first time ever at the Cobalt down on Main and boy was I excited to shoot at a smaller venue (and scared for the lack of lighting...)  I also noticed that the Electric Owl across the street has closed so I'll never get a chance to shoot there either... :(

Regardless, I have waited way too long to see Deez Nuts to perform live.  (I know how that sentence sounds, don't remind me haha).  For those who don't know, DN was started as JJ Peters' side project while he was with I Killed the Prom Queen and now is his dedicated act.  They are a hardcore, rapcore , metalcore blend hailing from Melbourne, Australia.  They originally got a lot of flak for their "gangsta" image and lyricism with their early work (see Rep Your Hood), but have gotten a lot more mature and serious in tone with their latest album, Word is Bond.  JJ himself is a super chill guy as I got to talk to him really quick after the show and he's pretty much how he shows himself - true to himself and not giving a fuck what others think.  Anyway, all-in-all a fun yet mellow show, but with such a small following in North America, I would one day love to see a full set from them with the whole crowd chanting along to Band of Brothers.

Oh...and I didn't realize you could use flash at this venue until AFTER the fact.  Sorry guys!

To repeat myself earlier, Word Is Bond is now currently out for your ears to mosh to, but also check out Stay True for more of their classic sound.

Up next came pop-punk act from New Jersey, Major League.  A strange, yet welcomed change of pace - especially with what was to come for the latter half of the night.  The boys from Major League I think felt a little out of place, especially with the hardcore crowd and often thanked the audience for accepting them as the odd one out on the roster.  Regardless they did what they did best and even if some of the crowd didn't seem to care too much, they did show thanks and appreciation for the musicianship.  Although I'm really selective with my pop-punk, these guys have toured with bands such as Mayday Parade and Senses Fail which is pretty respectable!  

You can check out their latest album, There's Nothing Wrong With Me, which was released last year.

Being As An Ocean.  Oh where to begin.  Like with most bands, it takes a while for me to get into them and this is usually after they've opened for someone I've just seen.  And then just regret at how I will have to wait a long time for these bands to roll back around in Vancouver just so I can shout at the top of my lungs again.  BAAO was here last September opening for UK metalcore act, Architects, and I didn't care much for them back then.  Come around Warped Tour, I've embraced their wonderful amalgamation of spoken-word verses and shouted choruses, the melody and the rhythm.  

The show this time around was even more hectic than Warped Tour with Joel Quartuccio, the frontman and vocalist literally jumping into the crowd - moshing, shouting and singing with everyone as he's being pushed around and climbing on things.  The boys on the instruments held it down as Joel took the show and made the night super memorable - the energy was leagues beyond of what I have seen before and as I will later state, I think hardcore shows now hold a special place in my heart, and BAAO is definitely one of the bands that caught my love.

Their self-titled album was released this year, but I would also highly recommend you check out How We Both Wondrously Perish as well!

Stray From The Path was also like my situation with BAAO above.  They also opened for Architects and I didn't really know too much about them until I forced myself to listen to them after and turned out I really liked what I was hearing.  The hardcore band hails from Long Island, New York and their lyrics often run deep with issues in society (particularly American culture and foreign policy) and as stated in the show, "not a facade, no bullshit."  Drew York got the crowd running crazy as fans rushed the stage and then proceeded to stage dive off.  Moshing, crowd surfing, two-stepping.  You name it, it was happening.  Fan-favourite songs Damien, Black Friday, Badge & A Bullet was sure to give the crowd sore throats as it seemed the whole bar was shouting at top of their lungs.

Their latest record, Subliminal Criminals, was released in August and kicks tons of ass.  Check it out if you appreciate hardcore.

Lastly, co-heading with SFTP comes Winnipeg hardcore act, Comeback Kid.  Their name refers to the return of Mario Lemeiux to the NHL and is hilariously Canadian but fantastic all at once.  A huge name in Canadian hardcore, they rose in popularity simply by word of mouth and long, steady touring.  At this point, I knew there was no way I was going to be at the front dodging stage-divers anymore so I rushed around, snuck behind some speakers and climbed on some kegs to get some of the photos!  Much like how pop-fans are obsessive-crazy, hardcore fans know how to have a good time and aren't afraid to get roughed up or wake up tomorrow sore with some random bruising and maybe a black eye.  Fans were going nuts the whole time and everyone from the band was jumping, spinning and doing god knows what on that tiny little stage.  All-in-all, a spectacular show and it furthers my love for hXc community even more with its camaraderie and not-giving-a-fuck attitude.

CBK's latest album, Die Knowing, was released last year.

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Setlists

Deez Nuts

1. Word
2. What's Good
3. Stay True
4. Wrong Things Right
5. Shot After Shot
6. What I Gotta Do
7. Your Mother Should Have Swallowed You
8. Face This On My Own
9. Band of Brothers

Major League

1. Homewrecker
2. Pillow Talk
3. Kaleidoscopes
4. Graves
5. Recovery
6. Rittenhouse

Being As An Ocean

1. Little Richie
2. The Hardest Part Is Forgetting Those You Swore You Would Never Forget
3. L'exquisite Douleur
4. Death's Great Black Wing Scrapes the Air
5. Sleeping Sicarii
6. This Loneliness Won't Be The Death of Me

Stray From The Path

1. Outbreak
2. Death Beds
3. Negative And Violent
4. D.I.E.P.I.G.
5. Scissor Hands
6. Black Friday
7. Badge & A Bullet Pt. II
8. Damien
9. First World Problem Child 
10. Badge & A Bullet

Comeback Kid

1. Talk Is Cheap
2. Wasted Arrows
3. Do Yourself A Favour
4. All In A Year
5. False Idols Fall
6. Die Knowing
7. Lower the Line
8. G.M. Vincent & I
9. Partners In Crime
10. Step Ahead
11. The Concept Stays
12. Broadcasting...
13. Should Know Better
14. Wake the Dead

Unearth - Wovenwar - To the Wind - Angelmaker // VENUE Nightclub

September 27, 2015 - Ah, I've kind of missed VENUE as it's been a while since I last shot Anti-Flag here, despite its lack of a photo pit.  What I don't miss is the obnoxious, shitty security staff (dude, you're a bouncer at a venue for a metal show, not dealing with drunk fucks with fake IDs) and the pretentious, entitled people that come through these doors for regular nights (the amount of judgement at these alt kids after leaving was HILARIOUS.) Regardless, I felt horrible for missing like 3-4 shows that local act Angelmaker has put on due to other commitments such as work, birthdays, school or well more photo work.  Anyway, shout out to Cole Rideout for the access and letting me use the photos for NotYourScene!

Angelmaker was up first, and boy did they start the show off right.  Despite perhaps having the smallest following of the lineup, they held their own being the HEAVIEST of the lineup as well.  Pig squeals and death growls lined their breakdowns and melodic sections of their setlist and everything sounded tight and in sync.  It's definitely cool when there's people you know succeeding in the music scene when so many others have failed, and these guys have a ton of potential as you can tell they put their heart and souls into what they love.

You can check out their debut album, Dissentient, here.

To The Wind, a hardcore-punk band from Seattle followed suit and although shifting gears in genre, put on a good act with lots of energy (to be expected from a hXc band!)  Although fairly quiet on social media, the band has put out two full length albums, Block Out the Sun & Sleep, being the most recent and had jumped on Warped Tour for 2014.  They will be returning to open for metalcore act Texas in July in a month so I will put a more detailed concert review in there!

After the shit-show that was Tim Lambesis' (of As I Lay Dying) bribe to an undercover officer to kill his wife, the remaining bandmates did what most people would do if they found out that someone they knew was conspiring murder - get the fuck out (well technically, put it on hold while Lambesis serves his jail sentence and drummer Jordan Mancino still shares ownership rights).

Anyhoo, Wovenwar consists of the departed members of As I Lay Dying combined with Oh Sleeper's vocalist Shane Blay.  The band itself isn't so much traditional metalcore as AILD as it infuses hard rock, alt metal and modern heavy metal into it as well - appealing for a more diverse audience compared to your stereotypical angsty 16-25 year olds.  Wovenwar themselves put on a strong act and are building their reputation as they've toured with huge acts such as In Flames, Periphery and Black Label Society.

Their self-titled record is also available now!

Last, but not least was the metalcore headliner, Unearth, hailing from Winthrop, Massachusetts.  Despite listening to a fair bit of metalcore, I'll be honest, I haven't heard of them until the night of.  This might be perhaps that they formed in 1998 with more of the pioneers of metalcore such as Hatebreed and Integrity. Regardless, they have a more raw sound compared to the same old rinse-and-repeat acts of today (clean vocals/chorus, drop tuning breakdowns, etc.)  The audience drawn was a much diverse crowd than what I would usually expect and the energy was high as I had to evacuate the front of the stage or my camera would have exploded with the fury of a couple hundred moshers.  

Their latest album, Watchers of Rule, was released in 2014.

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Setlists

Unfortunately no setlists available for Angelmaker or To The Wind.

Wovenwar

1. Foreward
2. All Rise
3. Death to Rights
4. The Mason
5. Profane
6. Tempest
7. Matter of Time
8. Prophets

Unearth

1. Watch It Burn
2. Never Cease
3. This Lying World
4. The Swarm
5. Endless
6. Giles
7. Last Wish
8. Burial Lines
9. Zombie Autopilot
10. My Will Be Done
11. The Great Dividers