SAYREVILLE, NJ—I took a seat in the back and slightly center for one of the hardest shows I’ve attended at Starland Ballroom for the Time To Bleed Tour. It was quite a beefy bill, which made the show run long into the night, even though it was a Sunday. By the time headliners Suicide Silence took the stage, there was no doubt they wouldn’t make things short, especially being that it had been two years since their last headlining tour.
The floor was buzzing with younger fans decorated with plaid and gauged earlobes, while back at the bar there were epic beards everywhere you turned. The night wasn’t a fashion show, but what stood out predominantly was the scenery and visuals put on stage. From over-enthused guitarists to frontmen who were more creatures than singers, your eyes weren’t left for something to want.
My confession that needs to be made is that I’m not entirely knowledgable of the music that went down that night, but I was all ears. Walking into the venue, Molotov Solution had the crowd in an uproar by the end of their set. Even with the strong vocals and heavy beats, I was distracted by their one guitarist who was all smiles shuffling back and forth across the stage.
With only a taste of Molotov Solution that night, I was introduced to a band whose name alone drew me in. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza was straight gritty, rough vocals and music with only pause for the band to say a word or two to their fans. The crowd was in love, dancing around with several little pits opening up throughout on the floor. It was organized chaos, with not much of a stopping point for fans to rest, but still was only a warm up for the next band up.
As the floor refilled from fresh air and cigarette breaks during the set change, the band that stole the night, Mychildren Mybride, was getting ready to hit the stage. Vocalist Matthew Hasting took the stage with a stage presence that was more preacher-like than metal singer. With heavy riffs, breakdowns and gang vocals, it may as well have been a religious experience for the crowd, who followed the band’s every move.
Still out supporting their summer release, Lost Boy, fans called for an encore, something MCMB could not give, but I wish they had. Room needed to be made for the finale of the night, Suicide Silence. Out on their first headlining tour in about two years, Suicide Silence took the stage with strobe lights galore, making sure if your head wasn’t in a daze by the music alone, the lights would get you.
As soon as the music started, singer Mitch Lucker perched himself right at the front of the stage and let out an impressive pterodactyl scream. He was an impressive sight alone; tall, lanky and covered in tattoos, with limbs that seemed to stretch across the stage. I couldn’t get enough of his screaming, but wish there was some singing coming out of his microphone. High pitched or guttural, screams came easily for Lucker, but he left any clean vocals for the audience to sing for him, which fans were willing to do.
The hour-long set mashed together and sounded as one continuous sound of deathcore music. I was able to make out song titles like “Genocide” and “Disengage,” but to recall their sound, I was only left with the memory of fans loosing their minds on the floor and knowing I need to brush up on the band’s catalog for the next show.
