These guys worked the crowd from the very start. Though reduced to a three-piece, they managed to fill the stage. Constant headbanging and windmilling were par for the course, and the drummer was all heart, headbanging like a maniac through the whole set while still delivering the goods musically.
They only had a 25 minute set, so the breaks in between songs were incredibly short, with only a brief dedication to "Those mother f***ers right there startin' s*** in the front!". How death metal is that? And it worked! They got the crowd whipped up into a frenzy by the end of their set. The only thing lacking for them was a 2nd live guitarist to fill in the void left when Eric Rutan would break into a trademark shredder solo. But the dual vocals almost made up for it. This was an incredibly tight band.
The first thing everyone noticed when God Forbid took the stage was the sound was much louder and audible and the stage lighting suddenly came alive. The crowd really ate everything God Forbid gave them and although the interaction with the crowd was a little more distant, they were still treated to a sea of fists pumping throughout their entire set. Unfortunately, God Forbid was also given the 25 minute set treatment, so as soon as it seemed like they were warming up their set was over. Regardless, a strong performance.
After a long change over, Arch Enemy made their appearance opening up with "Nemesis". It was obvious a lot of the crowd was there just to see them, and they also had the most rounded set time. The most annoying element of their show was the crowd turning to each other saying, "Dude, she sings pretty good for a girl". I think it’s more than fair to state that Angela has proven herself as a good singer, period. She really did deliver the goods along with the rest of the band. Mr. Amott's guitar playing was as tight as it always is, and they managed a few moment of thrash greatness in parts of the show. After awhile though, a lot of the songs sounded the same, one blending into the next. But, the amazing light show and strobes helped to keep everyone into it throughout their set. One of the highlights was the great execution of their trademark guitar harmonies along with Sharlee D'Angelo's classic stage presence.
By now you'd think that the crowd would be too wiped out for Chimaira, but it was the exact opposite. Chimaira were greeted to a truly hyper crowd who couldn't get their fists up in the air fast enough. It was also immediately apparent that the best sound and lights were saved for the end, in classic headliner ego fashion. Stage was illuminated with sharp lights, contrasting with a smoke machine for a cool but clique effect. The guitar heavy mix was crushing.
Towards the middle of the set, Mark made a few comments apologizing for missing a previous show in Detroit due to his Grandmother passing away. He thanks Eric from Hate Eternal, Byron from God Forbid, and Chris from his own band for filling in on vocals. The crowd responded warmly.
"Salvation" proved to be the tightest song of the set. When it was all said and done, the entire performance left the House of Blues audience drained, but fulfilled.
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