Lineup: Vein/Higher Power/Buried Dreams/Silenus
Venue: The Middle East Downstairs
Silenus: Long Island has been regularly churning out beatdown hardcore bands for what seems like an eternity, but I've never heard one that's quite like Silenus. Combining the traditional beatdown attitude/breakdowns with fast riffing, death metal-esque vocals and eerie samples made them especially abrasive-even for a genre that prides itself on being over-the-top heavy. Their shit was so god damn punishing that I didn't even get overly bothered by the macho bullshit their vocalist was saying between songs! Silenus sold me on a style of hardcore that I don't typically respond overly favorably to and I'll be very interested to see if they continue to embrace this very interesting sound moving forward.
Buried Dreams: Boston's own Buried Dreams was added to this bill after Soft Kill dropped off a couple weeks of ago. Based on the crowd reaction, not only would've you've not known they were a late addition to the show, you probably would've thought they were headlining. This metalcore/traditional hardcore hybrid incited pits, crowd surfing and wall-to-wall movement galore as they ripped through a super fun 20 minute set. That type of widespread enthusiasm for an opener is beautiful to see and reinforced why the Boston hardcore scene is such a special community.
Higher Power: Referring to Higher Power as a breather wouldn't be fair to them because they were every bit as good and energetic as the bands that preceded them. However, they did utilize a lot of melodic vocals alongside the regularly-deployed breakdowns-which made them a welcome and very effective departure from the ultraaggressive mood that drove the rest of the night. Bonus points to their vocalist for being a super charismatic fellow who seemed beyond appreciative that the crowd was so responsive to their set.
Vein: HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT. That's just a sample of the very deep thoughts that were running through my head during Vein's set. These agents of musical chaos bring an unrelenting, go-for-broke attitude to the stage that is reminiscent of The Dillinger Escape Plan and their distinct beast of a sound somehow manages to be even more intense live. Throw in the fact this was a hometown show on the last night of a month-long headlining run and you have yourself a lethal formula that helped make this show a jaw-dropping display of pure fucking madness..
This performance was the kind of visceral, adrenaline-fueled experience that drew me to heavy music as a teenager and has kept me devoted to it as an adult. Every single song hit like a sledgehammer. No one in the band that isn't forced to sit down to play their instrument stood still for more than a few seconds at a time. Mics were tossed around like a football. People were hanging upside down from the pipes on the ceiling. As many 20-25 people were on the stage at one time. Getting to be in an environment where anything goes without anything awful happening is an increasingly rare luxury in this wretched world and I couldn't be more thankful that this haven of contained chaotic euphoria still exists. Vein is a superhuman force live and I hope they NEVER lose that edge as their stock continues to ascend.
Grades:
Silenus: B+
Buried Dreams: B+
Higher Power: B+
Vein: A+
Setlist:
Vein:
Untitled
Broken Glass Complexion
Demise Automation
Spiral
Untitled (same lyrics w/ longer outro and slightly different instrumental)
Anesthesia
Ripple
Old Data in a Dead Machine
Rebirth Protocol
Terrors Realm
New Song
Virus:// Vibrance
Ideation: Self Destruct
New Song
Doomtech
Progenitor
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