It's not every day you get to hear one of the most influential records in a genre played in its entirety. Last night, I got that distinct pleasure as hometown metalcore titans Unearth played their breakout record The Oncoming Storm from start to finish at Brighton Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts.
I arrived right as opener Armed for Apocalypse started their set. As they were talking in between songs, I took some time to take in the venue as I'd never been there before. Brighton Music Hall is definitely a pretty sweet venue. The setting is intimate with a small floor and no rail in front of the stage as well as pretty decent sound. As for Armed for Apocalypse, I have to say I was pretty impressed. I'd honestly never heard of them prior to this tour being announced, but after seeing them live, I definitely have to go ahead and check out their stuff. They had plenty of nice riffs and their drummer was an absolute psycho behind the kit. However, their brand of sludge/crust punk didn't really go over too well with the crowd on the whole. A majority of the slim crowd that was in attendance when they performed looked indifferent as they plowed through their nearly 30-minute set. Despite a weak reception, Armed for Apocalypse put on a good set that certainly inspired me to give them a shot on record.
Maine's top hardcore export Cruel Hand was up next. I hadn't seen them since way back in 2008 when they opened for The Acacia Strain at their DVD shoot at The Palladium. These guys were a lot more in line with Unearth's style, so the crowd reception was a lot better than it was for Armed for Apocalypse. They managed to incite the first pits and hxC dance fest of the evening. As for their actual performance, it was certainly solid. They're not the most exciting or groundbreaking hardcore act in the world, but they have a great stage presence and high levels of energy- which really is all you need to succeed as a band in the hardcore genre. It also didn't hurt that their singer is a pretty hilarious dude who goes off on a bunch of a mini-tangents during the breaks between songs. Cruel Hand was a breezy good time that woke the crowd up and set the tone for the rest of the show from a energy standpoint.
Texas in July was up next. I've never really got too into these guys on record as they are a bit too generic for my liking nor did they manage to make much of an impression on me the first time I saw them opening for August Burns Red in 2012. To my surprise, Texas in July was pretty damn good this time around. Their new vocalist is a huge step-up from their previous one and they weren't nearly as generic as I remember them being. In fact, a couple songs actually had some interesting progressive riffing and well-placed breakdowns! Their stage presence has also improved substantially as their new vocalist got the crowd hyped up with ease and their bassist ran around the stage like a crazy person for the duration of the set (I honestly thought he was going to run clean off the stage during "This Isn't My First Rodeo"). The venue filled in nicely during their set as well, which was a nice precursor for the madness that ensued during Unearth's set. Texas in July still wasn't spectacular by any means, but they were much better than I had anticipated they would be.
The moment had finally arrived for Unearth to take the stage. As I mentioned earlier, this tour is commemorating the 10th anniversary of The Oncoming Storm. For myself and a lot of other metal fans of my generation, this is an essential record that helped define the metalcore genre. The Oncoming Storm played a huge role in shaping my taste in music and appreciation for metal as a whole. Since I first heard this record when I was 15, I'd dreamed of hearing it played live in its entirety, so it was kind of surreal to see it actually happen seven years later. About a third of the album ("Endless", "The Great Dividers", "This Lying World", "Black Hearts Now Reign") are already staples in Unearth's set and while those tracks were fun to hear as always, it was the rarely/never played tracks that made this performance special. "Failure", "Lie to Purify" and my personal favorite, "Zombie Autopilot" translate especially well to a live setting. With all these rarities being played to celebrate The Oncoming Storm's historic anniversary, Unearth was even more lively and energetic than usual on stage. Guitarist Ken Susi took his typically animated antics to the next level interacting with just about everyone in the front row and regularly jumping off the amps while vocalist Trevor Phipps welcomed the barrage of stage divers that joined him on stage, jamming out with them and letting them scream into the mic whenever they wanted to. Phipps even stage dived himself during the final breakdown of "Endless" while Texas in July frontman J.T. Cavey came out to scream along with him from the stage. Even normally reserved guitarist Buz McGrath got on the mic near the end of the set to personally thank one of his buddies that was at the show for bringing him one of the last glass bottles of Olde English ever made and told everyone in the crowd to either "buy him a beer or suck his cock clean off" as a token of his appreciation. Unearth preceded the playing of The Oncoming Storm by playing a song from each of their four other records (2002's The Stings of Conscience, 2006's III: In the Eyes of Fire,2008's The March, and 2011's Darkness in the Light) and a new track off their upcoming album which will be released in September or October according to Phipps. The new track ripped with a great solo from McGrath and yet another signature crushing Unearth breakdown. If this track is any indicator, Unearth is going to keep their flawless track record in tact with their new album. This was a truly special performance for Unearth. The combination of there being no rail and the sheer amount of fun the band was having on stage created this really unique camaraderie between the band and the crowd that I had never seen in the five times I'd seen them prior. If you're an Unearth fan in any capacity and this tour is coming to your city over the next month, please go see it. You will not regret it.
Scores:
Armed for Apocalypse 7.5/10
Cruel Hand 7.5/10
Texas in July 7.5/10
Unearth 9.5/10
Armed for Apocalypse included:
Worth the Weight (closer)
Cruel Hand included:
Life in Shambles
Under the Ice
Texas in July included:
It's Not My First Rodeo (opener)
Hook, Line and Sinner
Cry Wolf
Elements
Unearth:
Watch it Burn
New Song
Giles
My Will Be Done
My Heart Bleeds No Longer
(Aries)
The Great Dividers
Failure
This Lying World
Lie to Purify
Bloodlust of the Human Condition
Predetermined Sky
Endless (w/J.T. Cavey from Texas in July)
False Idols
Zombie Autopilot
Black Hearts Now Reign
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