August Burns Red, Void of Vision, Hollow Front, and We Came As Romans
Emo’s – Austin, TX
While most of their peers are trying (and only sometimes succeeding) to show us how metalcore bands age gracefully, August Burns Red, still in the middle of a decade-plus prime, are showing us how some metalcore bands can actually defy age completely.
Emo’s is a notorious venue, peppered generously with alternative music history. Though they have not always occupied the same physical space, the richly historic spirit of Emo’s is palpable. The evening of July 30th, during a record-breakingly hot summer in Texas, Emo’s was haunted by the ghost of broken air conditioners. Nearly creating an emergency-level scenario, the room at Emo’s was poised to host an evening that fans and bands alike will, for better or worse, not soon forget.
Void of Vision is from Melbourne, Australia. There’s something undeniably special about up-and-coming artists who are still very hungry. Void of Vision understands that it is not the crowd’s responsibility to bring the energy to a live show, but their own. Vocalist Jack Bergin enthusiastically embraces this responsibility and thrives on it. With a striking appearance and magnetic presence, Bergin brought the already stuffy room to life. Void of Vision combine contemporary metalcore with dance and pop grooves, which, in itself, is not something exceedingly novel at this point, but they do it with a conviction and instinct that make them truly remarkable. Void of Vision set the tone for the evening that would be commented on by nearly every subsequent band on the bill, and they did it in an un-air conditioned room in Austin, TX in July. If that isn’t worthy of respect, nothing is.
Hollow Front is a metalcore band from Michigan that has been making huge splashes in the last few years, and it’s easy to understand why. In a genre where it can be nearly impossible to stand out, Hollow Front rises to the top with genuine emotion, precise musicianship, and memorable hooks and grooves. Guitarist Dakota Alvarez is a spectacle to behold, handling 100% of guitar and clean vocals for the band’s live show complementing Brandon Rummler’s creative bass style immaculately. Soaring over the top is Tyler Tate, an exceptional vocalist and frontman who offers a voice (both figuratively and literally) that truly stands out in the metalcore world of the 2020’s. “You guys are nuts,” Rummler commented on the audience’s energy. While most of the crowd was being exposed to Hollow Front for the first time, you wouldn’t have known by the excitement and adoration they expressed.
We Came as Romans boasts an enduring and deeply committed fanbase, as well as a reputation for being one of the most iconic metalcore bands to surface during the Myspace era. The excitement for WCAR rose to the stage, mixed with the steam and robust aroma of some 1700 young adults in attendance. Tearing through hook after hook and breakdown after breakdown, WCAR brought with them the fury and ferocity of almost two decades of being one of the world’s most recognized names in modern heavy music. Their dedication to their craft is more than respectable, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t give major props to their front-of-house crew for providing what was probably the best sound mix of the night. A standout moment for me was when vocalist Dave Stephens paused to reflect and dedicate a song to deceased (and unreplaced) member of WCAR, Kyle Pavone. The crowd showed no major signs of relent during WCAR’s set, as bassist Andy Glass commented “this is the craziest crowd of the tour.”
For countless contemporary metalcore artists, August Burns Red is the blueprint. Guitarists want to shred like JB Brubaker. Vocalists want to roar like Jake Luhrs. Drummers want to grow extra arms and wail like Matt Greiner. With truly no detectable inflation of ego, ABR continues to stretch themselves to remain one of the most highly regarded and mainstay artists in their genre. With essentially the same lineup since 2006, August Burns Red is a picture of artistic commitment and musical chemistry.
When the lights went down, the opening strums of “Chop Suey” by System of a Down began, and when the stage lights came up, the guys from ABR took over for the recording, pummeling through the second half of the song live along with a deafening scream-along from an almost completely heat-exhausted audience. It’s almost disorienting to hear a band that has been around this long, playing music at this level of sophistication and aggression with all the vigor and fervor of their younger selves. On that note, guitarist JB Brubaker is actually his younger self. He hasn’t aged in 15 years, and he has the same haircut I had in 2005. He still wears flip flops on stage and he still shreds hard.
If this wasn’t enough, the even more exceptional talents of the band became evident as guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler and bassist Dustin Davidson rotated around, each covering various shifts as guitarist and bassist throughout the middle portion of the set. This was my first time seeing ABR, so this was new to me. You would never have known they were switching instruments by listening, as each of the guys expertly executed their responsibilities on each instrument.
I feel it’s necessary to quickly point out that ABR is not experimenting with hard rock or nu metal. They are not gradually working in suspiciously strategic radio-friendly hooks or mediocre rapping. They are doing what they have always done, only better and better as the years go on.
Moshing grew somewhat tiresome for many concert goers, so many of them abandoned the circle pits in favor of higher ground: crowd surfing. I haven’t seen this much crowd surfing since my first concerts in the 90s. Perhaps these were just fans who were trying, for a moment, to escape the potent, sticky sweat-fog and soggy concert tees, or maybe they were trying to get just that much closer to the intense (and only slightly less sweaty) action of the stage. Either way, despite a few faintings, everyone seemed to be having a genuinely good time. A reasonable person would echo Jake Luhr’s praise of the security team at Emo’s who did not discourage having fun, but ensured the safety of the unusual number of crowd surfers.
With roughly 1700 fans in attendance, ABR’s final act of the evening was a surprising one. Vocalist Jake Luhrs and drummer Matt Greiner descended the front of the stage to meet and greet literally anyone who stuck around. While Luhrs tried to limit to quick hellos and handshakes (still very respectable, considering that most fans literally never get to meet frontmen of Luhrs’s repute), Greiner had conversations and took pictures, exhibiting unrelenting politeness and positivity. If you can’t get behind August Burns Red for any other reason, you have to admire them for their humility and pure wholesomeness.
There really is just so much metalcore in the world, and it’s very difficult for many artists to separate themselves from the hordes of sameness. It’s against this backdrop that August Burns Red shines at their very brightest, shaking off heavy music tropes of stagnant frustration and negativity, constantly outdoing themselves personally and musically, and bringing exceptional bands with them on tour.
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