The Orpheum Tampa – show review
Every Time I Die, touring hardcore veterans, had developed a Nationwide tour in celebration of their twenty years of being a band. And the show proved to be as relentlessly energetic, as crowds were expecting it to be. A chilly Monday night beckoned showgoers at The Orpheum in Ybor City, Tampa. Crowds in attendance to witness a hardcore show unlike any that the city has seen.
Vein opened the show with a remarkably well-received set that left a daunting precedent for all the acts that followed. The Boston natives bulldozed through their twenty minute stage time. Their cacophonous mix of spastic hardcore was quick to grab the audience by the throat. They refused to let go until they said their piece. The vein has been kicking around for nearly half a decade. But, this tour proved that they are truly a band with staying power and a force to be reckoned with in 2019. The set ended with vocalist Anthony nonchalantly grabbing the kick drum and abruptly exiting stage left. Vein’s first LP “Eurozone” is available now on Closed Casket Activities.
The night continued with Justice Tripp-fronted Angel Du$t. A band which brings together the best elements of The Ramones, Fury of Five, and Biohazard. Throws them into a blender. A hardcore band at heart, but a playfully energetic punk band on the surface. Angel Du$t have developed a sound entirely their own in an otherwise stagnant and repetitive scene.
Turnstile has consistently been hyped as “the next big thing” since their inception.
Maryland-natives Turnstile was direct support for the night’s headliners. The band’s relentless and often flamboyant stage presence created an indescribable kinetic energy within the room. Formed in 2010, Turnstile has consistently been hyped as “the next big thing” since their inception. Their successes have propelled them to a record deal with Roadrunner Records. The deal, which issued their most recent LP, “Time & Space”.A record which saw the band rediscover their roots while simultaneously exploring sounds that defy typical hardcore conventions. The band’s accessibility and broad appeal, however, don’t discount their hardcore credentials. The band nails a sound that is as catchy as it is brutally heavy. Turnstile closed their set with “Moon.” A beautifully melodic number sung by bassist Franz, who encouraged the crowd to climb over the front barrier and sing the song with him onstage – to the chagrin of venue security.
Every Time I Die from Buffalo New York. A band that needed no introduction, took the stage and opened with “Emergency Broadcast Syndrome.” Seldom-played metalcore classic from deep in the band’s catalog. ETID formed in 1998 as a metal band which eventually embraced a more Southern rock-influenced sound. The entire tour was a celebration of ETID’s two decades run as a touring band. All the opening acts were handpicked by the band themselves.
The night was special for a number of reasons…
Suffice to say, the crowd was in for a treat as it became clear that they would be running through all the major hits from their twenty-year catalog. The setlist was diverse and noticeably compartmentalized according to album, which allowed the band to run through certain tracks then rapidly shift gears into heavier and more diverse material. Lead vocalist Keith Buckley, a character in his own right who had a brief stint as a stand-up comedian, left little time for stage banter, and instead decided to rip through songs after song of aggressive, Southern metal party anthems, which left the sweat-drenched crowd yearning for more.
The night was special for a number of reasons. Mainly due to the fact that no band on the bill received anything less than a stellar reaction from the show’s denizens. Any of these bands could have headlined due to their immense popularity and drawing power. However, the night belonged to Every Time I Die. Whose hometown of Buffalo recently legally designated an entire day in their honor (December 16th is recognized as “Every Time I Die Day” from 2018 onward). As the last chords struck out for Every Time I Die’s set, the crowd invaded the stage one last time. The night served as a reminder that hardcore still has a presence that is, at the end of the day, more fun than any concurrent music scene. And it was certainly the best way to spend a chilly Monday night in Tampa.
