The remarkable thing about hardcore music, or the bands that show a clear influence from the style, is that there’s an incredible amount of energy that comes with it. Between the band members and the people in attendance, that surge of adrenaline is what separates these gatherings from your typical metal show.
One can easily agree that, for the greater part of their career, that Hatebreed is a metalcore band. The band has the hardcore mannerisms about them, but musically they’re a hardcore band playing music clearly inspired by metal. “Metalcore” might be more closely linked to Warped Tour bands in 2016 (Or at least it was when I was in high school… who knows?) but Hatebreed need no introduction to anyone who is familiar with the sound of the early 2000s. Hatebreed is aware that the people who were around during that time period are still supporting their music, which almost makes this current tour a throwback package, in a way: You’ve got Devil You Know with ex-Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones, DevilDriver, and Hatebreed themselves topping the lineup off. Pandering? Possibly.
One perk to the entire show was that three local acts were able to open up before Devil You Know stepped on to the stage. While these bands were great, for the sake of length, I feel it best to discuss them individually in the future and give them a feature if time permits it, as all three were tight, well-versed in their own music, and came fully prepared to deliver. Props to them for keeping the show interesting from the get-go.
By the time Devil You Know had taken to the stage, the room was already crowded enough and understandably so. Howard Jones is a face in the modern metal community, and his time in Killswitch was no doubt a time when most people grew to love the band. To see that a crowd would so quickly start a “Howard!” chant numerous times during the set says he alone has a following. But for an opening slot, it seemed Devil You Know had a considerable fanbase as a band, as numerous people in attendance were sporting the band’s merch, including a colorful one featuring cartoon versions of the band members and a rainbow. Comical as it may be, the band ultimately took their performance seriously, as they catapulted themselves headlong into their music.
Jones himself took advantage of the entirety of the stage, as guitarist Francesco Artusato (Formerly of All Shall Perish) and bassist Ryan Wombachter (Formerly of Bleeding Through) held down the rhythmic and melodic aspects. Technical as it may be, the music came together with the help of Nick Augusto, the band’s new drummer and former member of Trivium. Augusto was on point throughout the entire set, and it was obvious that the band was at a huge advantage with him among their ranks.
Musically, the band played a near-50/50 split of both of their albums, hitting all the right notes: “Seven Years Alone” came early in the set, while “The Way We Die” from their most recent output helped close out the set with “Shut It Down.” I was worried that Jones would have difficulty singing, as on the first album his voice had effects mixed into it, but like his performance on They Bleed Red, he seems to be returning to his prime. Stupidly tight all around in every corner of the band, Devil You Know showed promise and a bright future for the band, signaling that they’ve found a groove that works for them and they’re on the right track to being much more than a supergroup.
Continuing on with the energy created by Devil You Know, DevilDriver quickly took to the stage, much to the crowd’s pleasure. With “End of the Line,” the band came out guns blazing. Strobe lights left and right, the band had the air about them that they were in fact headlining the entire night. Confidence being a plus, you can’t ridicule a band for this: confidence goes a long way in winning over your fans.
However admirable their persona may have been, though, I cannot say that DevilDriver’s set was entirely enjoyable. Across eleven songs, the band played furiously and showed no signs of fatigue, but evidently the set lacked any sort of dynamic. As opposed to Devil You Know, DevilDriver had more songs to play and chose to do by playing straight-forward, angry metal. I consider myself a casual listener towards DevilDriver and harbor no negativity towards them, but by the time “Clouds Over California” came up in the set, I could hardly care that I recognized the song, as I was just bored by that point. The crowd seemed to enjoy their set, however, but with nearly every song being loud, fast, and angry, some diversity in their songs would have helped make a set flow fluidly.
Hatebreed taking the stage immediately after was like two adrenaline shots at once. Before even stepping up to the stage, Jamey Jasta was handed a mic and already started getting himself and the crowd excited, Hatebreed could have not done it better than starting out with the anthemic “Destroy Everything.” Simple, ignorant, and heavier than everything that came before it during the night, Hatebreed was like a juggernaut coming out swinging.
Taking little time to breathe in between songs, Hatebreed understood how to build a setlist, throwing some of their most well known and recent songs out in the beginning. “In Ashes They Shall Reap” gave a semi-lighter breather for the crowd to chant along with immediately after the room tore itself apart for “Everyone Bleeds Now.” Jasta touted early on that tonight everyone would be able to brag that they got to see Hatebreed play a song from every single album and EP, right before signaling the band to go into “Last Breath” from Satisfaction Is The Death of Desire. Jasta’s promise held true as the night went on, as the set consisted heavily of material from Perseverance and The Rise of Brutality, But most surprisingly was the band’s choice to include the title track from their 1996 EP, Under the Knife, which caught many a fan off guard.
Most admirably, however, was that the entire band was filled with energy the entire set. While Jasta was a centerpiece, musically the band was consistent despite going from song to song with very little time to rest. Even when the less demanding songs allowed them to ease up, they came back at full strength as they went into the next barrage of heavy-hitters.
A tonally all-over-the-place night, Hatebreed managed to put together a solid touring lineup for this go-around. Devil You Know have much ahead of them, despite already being veterans in the scene, while DevilDriver appealed to their more passionate fans and them alone throughout. Hatebreed have proven over the years that they are unstoppable. Love them or hate them or fall somewhere in the middle, this band delivers live and brings energy most bands can’t even imagine bring night after night, let alone at a one off gig. Bands like this are more rare than we care to admit.
