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Cure Encore: MAKE THEM SUFFER SETLIST
Ghost of Me
Bones Hollowed Heart Ether Epitaph Soul Decay Erase Me Doomswitch VOID OF VISION SETLIST
EMPTY
THE LONELY PEOPLE HELL HELL HELL Year of the Rat Ghost in the Machine VAMPYR ALTAR INTO THE DARK NOVELISTS SETLIST
Lost Cause
Terrorist Prisoner Mourning the Dawn Smoke Signals Turn It Up (Keyboard Warriors Social Club) ERRA TOUR DATES
MAY. 24 MINNEAPOLIS, MN VARSITY THEATER
MAY. 25 ST. LOUIS, MO RED FLAG MAY. 26 CHICAGO, IL HOUSE OF BLUES CHICAGO MAY. 28 DETROIT, MI SAINT ANDREW'S HALL MAY. 29 TORONTO, ON DANFORTH MUSIC HALL MAY. 31 MONTRÉAL, QC BEANFIELD THEATRE JUN. 1 BOSTON, MA PARADISE ROCK CLUB JUN. 2 NEW YORK, NY IRVING PLAZA JUN. 14 - 16 DERBY, UK DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL JUN. 17 DUBLIN 1, IRELAND ACADEMY PLAZA HOTEL JUN. 18 BELFAST, UK LIMELIGHT JUN. 20 - 23 DESSEL, BELGIUM GRASPOP METAL MEETING JUN. 21 KARLSRUHE, GERMANY SUBSTAGE JUN. 22 LUZERN, SWITZERLAND SEDEL JUN. 24 VILLEURBANNE, FRANCE TRANSBORDEUR JUN. 25 STRASBOURG, FRANCE LA LAITERIE JUN. 27 KVASNÁ VODA, SLOVAKIA TOPFEST JUN. 28 BAD HINDELANG, M, GERMANY VAINSTREAM JUN. 29 YSSELSTEYN, NL JUL. 1 POZNAŃ, POLAND TAMA JUL. 2 GDYNIA, POLAND PODWÓRKO ART JUL. 4 VELKÉ MEZIŘÍČÍ, CZECHIA FAJTFEST JUL. 5 BERLIN, GERMANY HOLE44 JUL. 6 DRESDEN, GERMANY ELBUFER PARKWAVES JUL. 21 MANSFIELD, OH INKCARCERATION FESTIVAL READ MORE
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The symptoms were common and overwhelming – pent up emotions, a need to release physically and emotionally, and the urge to take in an evening of live progressive metalcore – and there was only one “Cure”--
Veteran Birmingham, AL band ERRA is out on their “Cure North America Tour” in support of their newest and sixth studio album of the same name, and brought a full all-ages evening of headbanging, pit-swirling, stage diving, and weeknight moshing, to downtown Lawrence at the Granada Theater.
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The evening began with a short but potent set from Paris-based prog metalcore group, Novelists, in support of their 2022 full-length, Déjà Vu and more recent single, “Mourning the Dawn” from last year. The French band began over a decade ago, started in 2013 by brothers Amael and Florestan Durand and recently welcomed in the band’s third lead vocalist in its history, Camille Contreras.
Yes, the band sings in English, and amongst the hard-hitting and complicated chord changes, Contreras sings in a higher key than her predecessors and a dark but elegant voice, but still manages to make the older songs her own. The band is recommended for fans of Amy Lee and similar, though Contreras can still rage and effortlessly dispel of the clean vocals, when the song demands it.
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Next up was a pure metalcore band from the other side of the world, Melbourne Australia-based Void of Vision, out in support of last year’s Chronicles, a compilation of their three previous EPs. The band has also been in existence since 2013, with a straight-ahead aggressive sound, tailor-made as a soundtrack for mosh pits and crowd-surfing.
Newer songs like last year’s “Into the Dark” which closed their set, fit seamlessly into the band’s catalog, alongside older favorites like “Year of the Rat” and the nu-metal-tinged “Ghost in the Machine” from 2017.
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Something hardcore must be in the water from Australia, because next up was Perth metalcore band Make Them Suffer, formed back in 2008 and out in support of recent singles, “Ghost of Me” and “Epitaph”, ahead of an expected new album. It will be their first for SharpTone Records since signing with them last year, and a follow-up to 2020’s “How to Survive a Funeral” which was nominated for a down under Indie Music Award.
The music is unabashedly in-your-face at a pace that takes no prisoners, but a subtle difference for them is the male/female vocal play between vocalist Sean Hermanis and memorizing, multi-talented co-vocalist/keyboard player Alex Reade (yes, she even straps on a keytar at some point) which made for some interesting arrangements between the clean and aggro vocals of both.
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As for the fans’ symptoms of clearly still needing to vent loose and rage, the only “Cure” was Alabama progressive metalcore band ERRA (stylized in all caps) out with maybe their most fully formed full-length album to date, “Cure”, released via UNFD on April 5th. When you name your band after Akkadian god of war and plague when first starting out in 2009, you know there’s no messing around, and the Birmingham quintet (who recently added second guitarist Clint Tustin) delivered with a fourteen-song strong headlining set, that opened with the title track from the new record.
Both ERRA and Make Them Suffer seem to have a tech edge to their sound (helping define this current prog metalcore movement) and the aggro vocals of J.T Cavey clearly dominate (who was hot out of the gate, screaming, “Lost in the maze, longing for a wish or a cure, a failsafe!” on the new “Cure”) but are somewhat balanced by the melodic vocals of guitarist Jesse Cash.
Guitarists Tustin and Cash not only made for a bigger and more impactful sound on the five tracks played from the new album (and when compared to when we last saw them live in 2016), but the older favorites seemed to have an added punch as well, for a setlist mix that all the fans seemed to enjoy.
Fans reacted well to the new songs, especially lead single, “Slow Sour Bleed” which leans in a Reznor-like industrial direction, but of course, responded loudest to their older and more familiar classics, like “White Noise” from 2011’s “Impulse” album, and the complicated and immersive lyrics of 2013’s “Dementia”.
Even the atmospheric lighting added to the mood of these progressive songs, whether inviting one into the deeper abyss of their songs or flashing more rapidly to enhance the physicality of giving into the moment, with arms and legs flailing.
The set would end with a single-song encore, “Skyline” from 2016’s “Drift” a song that lyrically reflects on inner loneliness, despite being surrounded by all the sensations of a busy city. Though when played live, the song becomes a transformative and unifying piece that invites the unleashing of collective emotions, one last time for the evening.
Now in their second decade as a band and helping spearhead the current, growing and influential progressive metalcore movement; this really does seem like turning the page and entering a new era...err, chapter for ERRA. Now as legit headliners, you should catch them while you can in these relatively small theaters, before they blow up even bigger.
(Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)
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| JohnC ♥ johnc@weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com |
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