The Egyptian Room had a lighter crowd than normal (only at about half capacity), but those that came out were absolutely all in for this show. Many donned clownish face paint and crazy dress in anticipation of a wild and crazy show. Wild is definitely an understatement as the night was full of mishaps, technical difficulties, and injuries, none of which could be helped by the performers. As it was the first night/stop of the tour, the audience was generally very understanding and patient.
When I drop the top please don’t treat me like no Kennedy
Oxymorrons opened up the show, and these guys are absolutely fun. I would say they are definitely in the same vein as Limp Bizkit (hip-hop rock hybrid sound-wise), and I got some hints of Kid Cudi as well, specifically in their track “Look Alive” (which just charted at 28 on Billboard last year!) They are campy and nerdy, and absolutely full of energy.
You Love it When I’m Paralyzed
Unfortunately, Conquer Divide faced crippling technical difficulties, only getting in three songs before conceding and forfeiting the rest of their time.
The all-girl post-hardcore band had clean vocals and all members had great stage presence and energy.
During one of the pauses while their engineers were trying in vain to rectify their issues, vocalists Kia Castillo and Madison Spencer did an acapella rendition of the chorus to their song “Chemicals”, which was beautiful and haunting.
This was night one of the tour so I’m hoping they were able to work out the kinks and have smooth sailing for the rest of their performances!
In the Image of Man, We Breed Our Demons
Avatar brought their over-the-top theatrics and blistering modern metal to the stage last night, delivering a spectacle as wild as their signature grotesque imagery. From the moment the lights went down, an aura of menacing anticipation filled the air.
The ghostly intro built towards a thunderous explosion as the band launched into “Dance Devil Dance.” Immediately, frontman Johannes Eckerström commanded the spotlight, prowling the stage like a villainous ringmaster as he let loose his harsh growls and demented cackles. The larger-than-life frontman had the audience under his ghoulish spell as soon as he leapt onstage.
Avatar’s theatrical flair combined with their proficient brutality resulted in a truly immersive live experience. Their audio and visual theatrics created a seamless macabre world that drew you deeper into their unhinged, bizarre narrative. Guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström, along with bassist Henrik Sandelin, are absolute headbanging pros, frequently whipping their long hair into a frenzy, perfectly in sync with one another.
The band’s folk-tinged riffs collided with crunching, rhythmic metal refrains as the manic King unleashed his demented growls and piercing screams. From the raucous circle pits to the surging crowd surfing, the energy was electric. The show did, unfortunately, have to pause midway through “Valley of Disease”, as an overly-enthusiastic audience member went down and needed to be escorted out. The band took it in stride and excused themselves while things were sorted out.
Seamlessly combining disparate genres like folk music’s melodic refrains and heavy metal’s bludgeoning force, songs like “Bloody Angel” and “When the Snow Lies Red” ran the gamut from anthemic to unnerving. The dynamic pummeled the senses at every turn.
The pièce de résistance was the bizarre “Puppet Show”, which featured haunting, carnival-esquemelodies, over which Eckerström growled his ominous sounding vocals while making a balloon animal. Mid-song, he showed off his chops in a different way—playing a goofy but ultimately impressive solo on trombone.
With their immersive combination of extreme folk metal artistry and dark circus panache, Avatar puts on one of the most wildly entertaining live spectacles in modern metal. Under the twisted direction of their omnipresent ringleader, it was a spellbinding night of musical madness.
The Good
-Discovering yet another opening band I’d never heard of in Oxymorrons, but am excited to hear more from
-Avatar was extremely campy and had amazing visuals and stage presence
The Not-As-Good
-Everyone seemed to have technical difficulties (absolutely not faulting any of the bands, but you could really tell how much it was stressing them out)