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)

Blind Guardian & Grave Digger // Commodore Ballroom

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November 16, 2015  - I think it's crazy that some of these bands have been around since way before I was born, and that they're still kicking all sorts of ass to this day.  Vancouver was lucky enough to get some pioneers of the German metal scene that originated in the 80s to show up at the Commodore Ballroom for a night of shredding and headbanging.

I mean for a bunch of old metal dudes, the boys from Grave Digger are extremely photogenic and love posing for the camera.  Of course, I'm not complaining!  The band members were extremely charismatic, and thrived off of the crowd's energy.  Constantly asking for more interaction be it singalongs or for the horns in the air, they reciprocated with such intensity that I would expect from a bunch of crust punks in their 20s.  All in all, a very fun performance!

Up next, Blind Guardian, one of the most influential bands in the speed and power metal genres absolutely slayed, prompting a double encore after roars from the audience.  Metal fans, old and new rejoiced as "The Bards" sang of tales of Middle Earth and other fantasy epics.  For those who aren't aware, many of their themes and lyricism draws from greats such as J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin, also known as badassery!  Despite their later move towards a more progressive sound, Blind Guardian, is still acclaimed by both critics and listeners alike - noting a very smooth and natural progression in their sound.

Setlists:

Grave Digger

  1. Headbanging Man
  2. The Round Table (Forever)
  3. Witch Hunter
  4. Ballad of a Hangman
  5. Season of the Witch
  6. Excalibur
  7. Tattooed Rider
  8. Highland Farewell
  9. Rebellion (The Clans Are Marching)
  10. Heavy Metal Breakdown

Blind Guardian

  1. The Ninth Wave
  2. Banish from Sanctuary
  3. Nightfall
  4. Fly
  5. Tanelorn (Into The Void)
  6. Prophecies
  7. The Last Candles
  8. Lord of the Rings
  9. Time Stands Still (at the Iron Hill)
  10. Bright Eyes
  11. And the Story Ends
  12. Sacred Worlds (1st Encore)
  13. Twilight of the Gods (1st Encore)
  14. Valhalla (1st Encore)
  15. Imaginations from the Other Side (2nd Encore)
  16. The Bard's Song - In The Forest (2nd Encore)
  17. Mirror Mirror (2nd Encore)

Windhand, Danava, Monolord, Dead Quiet & Hoopsnake // Biltmore Cabaret

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October 28, 2015 - Alas, it's been a while since I've been at the Biltmore, the last time was seeing Norma Jean around a year ago with my friends Adam & Brendan.  I have returned on assignment for NotYourScene magazine touching base with some stoner, doom & sludge metal.

First on the docket is Hoopsnake, a local doom metal band from Squamish, BC.  Heavily inspired by Black Sabbath, you can notice similarities in their aesthetic, sound and performance.  With catchy riffs, trading vocals of shrieks and growls, they really capture the essence of Sabbath in a modern day context.

2nd on the roster is local Vancouver melo-doom/stoner-rock act Dead Quiet.  With a self-titled debut album which a cover reminiscent of Zeppelin's "Land of the Holy;" Dead Quiet really outdid themselves here and pushed the boundaries of traditional heavy metal.  With a wide range of lyrical content to actual sound, there's something for everyone.  You can hear influences from the typical Sabbath but also from Machine Head, and even blues and country artists too.  Definitely a breath of fresh air!

Next up are some Swedish doom/sludge metalheads, Monolord.  Forming fairly recently in 2013, these guys have the stage performance one would expect on their first tour overseas.  Mika Häkki on bass was literally all over, spinning around and swinging his guitar.  Although the lighting was less than preferred in the situation, the performance made up for it.  

To put it simply, these guys are fucking heavy.  With influences from Electric Wizard, they've still managed to sound different from the crowd - especially with the warm reception of their first album Empress Rising and now with their latest album, Vaenir.  The band illustrated that heavy doesn't necessarily have to be boring, it can be manifested and built upon.  Definitely an act to look forward to if you're in the doom community. 

Next up is Danava, a hard-rock revivalist group from Portland that feels like I got sent back to the 70s but boy, did they kick tons of ass.  The crowd was constantly barraged with an onslaught of tasty riffs and guitar solos.  The prog influence is also strong with this band, with some of the song lengths hitting near 10 minutes!  Although I'm by no means an expert in this genre (or any of the previous ones either) I was impressed with the technical aspect and how they got the crowd's energy to skyrocket.  Definitely a hard act to follow up on!

And finally, psych-headliners Windhand hit the stage, coming all the way from Richmond, Virginia.  With them, they brought what I thought all the other bands would have brought.  The stereotypical waft of weed, incense, and just really moody atmospheric metal.  I'll be honest, the energy was a total contrast to the 4 bands prior - being almost meditative and calm.  The crowd quickly turned from headbanging to perhaps, self-reflection as the setlist went on.  Definitely a different vibe, but it could have lasted forever and everyone would have loved it.

Florence + The Machine // Rogers Arena

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October 25, 2015 - First day at Rogers Arena and my second arena shoot (the first being 1D..., but that's another story haha.)  I'm back for Beatroute and was BEYOND excited to shoot this show.  Also shout out to my mate, Daniel, for the birthday gift of a ticket for the show.  Just to clear it up for everyone, just because you're shooting a show, doesn't mean you get to stick around after without a ticket.  This applies to mainly larger shows, so don't think I'm too much of a lucky bastard!

First on the docket is The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, a psychadelic, avant-garde folk act from New York City.  Not only to they have a bad ass name, but I soon learned that it also formed by Sean Lennon (yes, John Lennon's kid!) and his girlfriend/bassist Charlotte Kemp Muhl.  

It was remarkable to hear his father's presence in his voice and the influence in the instrumentals and visuals of the show.  Although the lighting was a bit hard to manage (imagine if stage lights took some acid, and then shot onto the musicians) but it made the show a lot of fun to watch.  Although not my particular cup of tea of music, the performance was super chill and lax, a total contrast of what was to come...

And finally, the headliner, Florence + The Machine.  I mean, unless you live under a bubble, you should know who these English indie rockers are!  After their formation in London in 2007, they blew up with the help of BBC, where they received the "Critic's Choice" award in '09.  The show had her running up and down the stage, through the aisles of the GA crowd and belting at the top of her lungs.  (See what I did there?)    Furthermore, the stage production was phenomenal (I wish I caught more of it, but stages are tall and I am short...) and Florence's voice was so theatrical, despite being so tiny and so soft-spoken.

I wish I got more photos of "the machine" but they were pretty far back and I couldn't quite get them with the stage being taller than me.  On another note, I tried using a different style of editing with some Legacy lens distortions and some Phlearn textures to give the images a better feel that I thought represented Florence.

For those who don't know, F+TM released an album earlier this year called How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and topped the UK charts.




Setlists

The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger

  1. Too Deep
  2. Xanadu
  3. Animals
  4. Poor Paul Getty
  5. Meteor Eater
  6. Midnight Sun
  7. Devil You Know
  8. Golden Earrings (Gandalf cover)
  9. Moth to a Flame
  10. Long Gone (Syd Barrett cover)

Florence & The Machine

  1. What the Water Gave Me
  2. Ship to Wreck
  3. Shake It Up
  4. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
  5. Third Eye
  6. Delilah
  7. You've Got the Love (The Source cover)
  8. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
  9. Cosmic Love
  10. Sweet Nothing (Calvin Harris cover)
  11. Mother
  12. Queen of Peace
  13. Spectrum
  14. Dog Days Are Over
  15. What Kind of Man (Encore)
  16. Drumming Song (Encore)