Girl at the Rock Shows

There were a bunch of shows happening around town on Saturday night that I wanted to go to. Honestly, that’s starting to happen more often than not, and it’s frustrating, but as I’ve mentioned before, I’m lucky enough to live in a place where there are two stellar venues just steps away from each other, and I definitely use that to my advantage as I did on Saturday night. The show at First Avenue and the one happening just a few steps downstairs at the 7th Street Entry couldn’t have been more different from each other but I loved that because it was like having all of my personalities getting a moment of acknowledgement and to say that my angsty, metal-loving side was satisfied by what happened at the more intimate 7th Street Entry would be an understatement.

I wouldn’t say that I did much research into either of the shows I covered because, honestly, I never do, but I did check out the small bios of some of the bands playing on Saturday night just because I had never heard their name before. I was surprised to read the bio for the opening act, Fr3ak. It said, “Live band performing your fav late ’90s-early ’00s Nu Metal Hits.” Knowing what I knew of the two closing acts of the four-band bill, this just didn’t seem right. On top of that, if you know me, you know that cover bands aren’t really my thing. Thankfully, Fr3ak is far from a cover band. Although they definitely had a bit of a nu-metal influence (or maybe I only heard that because it was stuck in my head), this band had me wowed instantly with their original and intense sound. It was sinister in a way, but also had this slight emo rap influence that brought a sense of emotion to the forefront. Although their time on stage was super short, they definitely had me hooked, and I hope there’s an opportunity to see and hear more from this band in the near future.

Saturday night was my first introduction to Larcɇnia Roɇ and, honestly, they kind of creeped me out but in all of the right ways. This band had blast beats within blast beats and breakdowns within breakdowns. To say that their sound was intense and extreme feels so understated for the amount of power that they let radiate from the small stage. Whether or not you like the chaotic and unique sonic blend of this song, there’s no denying the vocal power and range that Ryan Vail has. From squeal to grunts, Ryan’s voice may have sounded like a sonic assault or pure chaos to the untrained ear, but, really, it was what had me sold on this band and let me look past the “creep factor.” What do I mean by that? Guitarist Henry Koster had a dental device strapped to his head for the entire set. You know that stupid game Speak Out, where you put the plastic thing in your mouth and try to say something? It was that piece of equipment, but much more sinister and intricate-looking. I don’t know what it was that irked me so much, but it did, and it made it hard to watch Henry throughout the set. At the same time, it was memorable and, as if the music wasn’t memorable enough, I know I will never forget this first experience with Larcɇnia Roɇ.

The last time I saw the next band, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life, was back in 2019 when they opened for Fit For An Autopsy and Lorna Shore at The Turf Club. It’s not that I forgot about them since that show, but more that I just don’t listen to heavy music like I used to. This means that, within the first song of their set, I was falling head over heels for this band all over again. Although this entire line-up was brutal and intense, each band brought a distinct flair to the night. The flair TLTSOL brought was an old-school vibe. Although their sound didn’t feel dated or anything like that, you could just feel that some of the moments throughout their set clearly paid homage to the intense bands that came before them. From moments of pure chaos to intense breakdowns, and even those with a bit of a groove, TLTSOL had the entire audience in the palm of their hand throughout the set.

I don’t know how I’ve gone so long without seeing Left to Suffer, but Saturday night was my first time seeing this Atlanta, GA-bred deathcore band, and, well, they say there’s life before you see Left to Suffer live and then life after. I’m so glad to be on the other side of that. Okay, maybe people don’t say that, but that’s how it felt. As mentioned, all of the sets at the 7th Street Entry on Saturday were intense, but something about Left to Suffer’s time on stage just felt more amped up than the previous sets. Maybe that’s why they were headlining it. I’ve been out of the metal scene for so long that I honestly don’t know who the big players are anymore, but I think it’s safe to say that Left to Suffer’s name is on that list somewhere, with how the audience responded. Don’t get me wrong, the audience was into this show the entire night. The small space on the floor was more of a mess of limbs than anything else, and the stench of the room just proved how much movement was happening, even though this show was packed, and it was hard to see exactly what was going on, but something just felt a bit more electric as Left to Suffer closed out the night.

Saturday night at the 7th Street Entry was intense. It was smelly, it was hot, and it was perfect. Although I have fallen out of the metal scene, it was nice to jump back in, especially given everything happening around us here in the Twin Cities right now. This show gave me a sense of solace that I’ve been looking for and that I needed, and although it may seem like I didn’t have much to say about the show, I can’t say enough thanks to all four of these bands for giving me that sense of peace and power.

Line Up:

Fr3ak

LarcɆnia RoɆ

The Last Ten Seconds Of Life

Left To Suffer

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: 13 out of 10– Come on metalheads– shower!

Average Age of the Crowd: 28

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 9 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Fr3ak – 0

LarcɆnia RoɆ – 0

The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – 2

Left To Suffer – 0

Show on Deck —Jarv / Shwayze / The Elovaters

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