I Crack A Smile as the World Burns

I was looking forward to Thursday night’s show. Like I always like to remind you (and myself, at times), I get excited for every show because it’s like walking into a foreign world. I feel a bit like an explorer (geeky, I know, I blame my current obsession with Expedition Unknown). Still, some shows just seem to give me a bit more of a thrill than others, and Thursday night at Varsity Theater was one of those. I knew that the bands were going to be insane and the crowd would be wild. I was so excited to just sit back and watch it unfold.

The night started with NO CURE. I have been obsessed with this band since I saw them open for Thrown earlier this year. They struck me that night with their classic hardcore sound that was highlighted by more modern and innovative twists and turns. I was so excited to see them do it again. With limited time on stage due to the massive tour package, NO CURE wasted no time and leapt into a heavy set that was just as powerful and loud as I remembered. From vicious vocals to sinister guitar licks, I stood there completely in awe of the power that this band can bring to a stage, but at the same time, how organized it was. Although the audience was working themselves into a mess of flying limbs and dripping sweat, something about NO CURE’s performance felt oddly cool, calm, and collected, which I absolutely loved. I know I am spoiled having seen this band twice this year, but I hope that trend continues.

After a short delay due to some technical difficulties, death metal giants Tribal Gaze started playing and definitely amped up the energy (although it was started at a super high point thanks to No Cure). Whereas I felt a sense of controlled chaos during No Cure’s set, Tribal Gaze’s sound hit me like a beautiful construction zone. Don’t get me wrong, there were clear songs that I found easy to follow, and I liked that you could hear all of the talent happening on stage at any given time, but their overall style just felt a bit more chaotic, a bit more abrasive, and the audience seemed to pick up on that. Unfortunately, Tribal Gaze’s set was super short, lasting just around fifteen minutes. That was more than enough time to lay out their more traditional death metal sound, but I wanted so much more because I feel like I was ripped out of their world before I really got to explore all of the darkness.

Things got a bit darker and more intimidating as Ingrown took the stage, which felt oddly empty as this group is a trio, and the first two acts had been full bands, but that didn’t stop Ingrown from giving a hell of a show. Hailing from Idaho, Ingrown is the kind of band that clearly takes influences from all over the place. Elements of everything from thrash metal to grunge swirled around a more powerviolence feeling kind of set in a way that had my head on a swivel. I found the performance of Ingrown to be perfectly intimidating. Not only was the music heavy, but there was something just so severe about the three men performing on stage. I wish I could expand on that, but I just find myself lost for words. All I know is that Ingrown meant business and is absolutely a band with a live performance that matches the brutality of their sound.

Speaking of brutal, Bodysnatcher was up next. This band has been on my bucket list, and I was so excited to finally catch them live, especially at a venue where they hold the record for most crowd surfers in a set (around 100 people the last time they played). Although there weren’t that many crowd surfers on Thursday night, there’s no denying the energy that this band brought to the stage and the amazing way that it translated into the audience. The audience was already riled up, but something happened as soon as Bodysnatcher took the stage, which I can only describe as pure and brutal chaos. Flying limbs crashing with faces and bodies, bodies floating on top of the crowd, it was mayhem, and it was perfect. Sonically, Bodysnatcher was a bit more situated in the deathcore vein of things, but, like the previous acts, they brought in elements of everything from hardcore to punk to really drive their insane sound home. Bodysnatcher is known for the live shows, so the bar was set high for them on Thursday night. They didn’t disappoint; in fact, they gave me more than I could have even imagined. Here’s to hoping they come back to town soon because they breathed a sense of life into me that I so badly needed this week.

Closing out Thursday night’s show at The Varsity Theater was the almighty The Acacia Strain. Hailing from the East Coast, this is the band I had the most history with out of this entire stacked tour package, so I was super excited for a small jaunt down memory lane with them. Since 2001, The Acacia Strain has been putting out some of the most refined deathcore and metalcore music out there. It’s classic but with twists and turns along the way. One of the things I’ve always really liked about this band is that, although their music is intense and intimidating, something about the band feels more like rainbows and glitter. Okay, maybe not quite that innocent, but there is a sense of fun that they bring to their music videos and live performances that almost juxtaposes their music, and I always love seeing that play out in front of me.

Thursday night was like many of the other performances I’ve seen from The Acacia Strain over the years. It was perfectly curated and perfectly rehearsed, but came with moments where you could see the personalities of each of the members shine at one point or another. It was subtle, but a smile here, a small chuckle there, it was just so refreshing to see a band that has been doing this for decades, still out there and having fun, and for an entire sixteen-song set, nonetheless. I’ll be honest, I didn’t recognize as many of the tracks that they played as I had expected, but that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying everything they performed and getting lost in the electricity that they continue to bring to venues even after years of endless touring.