Photos & Review by Frank Piercy
March 10, 2015
Over the years I have attended many Mayhem Festivals in Hartford. One of the things I enjoy the most is listening to the newer metal bands on the smaller stages and then meeting them at one of the various meet n greets throughout the afternoons.
One of the bands last year was this deathcore band out of California called Suicide Silence. They sounded good on stage and were very amicable during the meet n greet that day also, but then being under the tent in the shade with a crapload of free Monster is not bad a thing either.
So when I saw that they were paying Hartford a visit this week with Emmure, Within the Ruins and Fit for an Autopsy, I knew this would be a show to see and shoot!
The Webster Theater is not a bad place to see a show, have been there many times in the past for all kinds of shows. Nice staff and they know how to clear a room when need be. My only complaint this visit, they ran out of munchies before Emmure hit the stage.
It was a good turnout for this show, not a sold out one but, I would say 3/4 full. Crowded but I could get thru to the photo pit entrance. Black Label Society a month or so ago, it was damn near impossible.
Fit For An Autopsy was the first band up on the main stage.
Fit For An Autopsy is a New Jersey deathcore band, that has been around for around 6 years with an ep and new album (“Hellbound”) that they are touring for. They came out for about 30 minutes and started to whip the crowd into a frenzy for what was soon following them.
WITHIN THE RUINS
Another local band done good, Its amazing what has come out of this neck over the last 10 years. Hailing out of Westfield Mass, they brought their energy to Hartford Tuesday night. They are one of the 2 bands I really wanted to see this evening. They did not disappoint, other than such a short set. Hopefully they will be returning soon.
Emmure comes to center stage.
Another band I have seen at the revered Mayhem Festivals, and another local band done good. Well at least there are Connecticut boys, ok only one now, in the band now. Emmure is not one I have really listened to a lot other than at Mayhem, they are considered deathcore, but so many different elements to their tunes it is hard to really categorize them.
Unfortunately, their lead singer, Frankie Palmeri, has been having issues with his voice and due to Doctors orders he was not allowed to sing Tuesday night, but they had a fill in….
Someone named Jay… Who did a great job and was well received by the audience, by the time I am writing this Frankie is back on stage!!
Ok and now the band we have been waiting for…….
Suicide Silence
And the crowd goes wild as they start into “No Pity” with Eddie Hermida (vocalist) working the front of the crowd from atop the monitors. By the time they are half way through “Inherit The Crown” people are crowd surfing into the photo pit.
My time in the photo came to an end with a word to security to “Wake Up”. Dodging even more people from above I left the pit and went out into the floor to enjoy the rest of the show.
Fortunately from my new vantage point I was able to watch the two guitarists, Chris Garza and Mark Heylmun perform their magic and work the crowd even deeper into their frenzy and become “Slaves to Substance” and then “Cease to Exist”, from the left side of the stage.
“Unanswered”, “Fuck Everything”, and “Bludgeoned to Death” rounded out this part of the set, and Eddie had everyone clear out the middle of the floor for the women to have their own circle pit for their one slow song “OCD”.
Just something about watching a bunch of girls go wild in a pit is exhilarating. Thumping and beating out the time were the drummer, Alex Lopez and bassist, Dan Kenny.
I am sorry guys, I didn’t get really pics of you two from my vantage points, but pounding out that shit was fantastic!
“Wall of Medley” and “Sacred Words” brought even more frenzied moshing with a huge circle pit swirling around the center of the Webster Theater! “You Cant Stop Me” title track of their current album was next. Written by Mitch Lucker before his untimely passing, you could feel the emotion in the playing on this one. Mitch was the lead singer of Suicide Silence before his passing in 2013. Their time at the Webster came to a close with “You Only Live Once”.
A good solid set and performance by one of the best Deathcore bands out there today.
I just have one question tho after seeing this show……
Whatever happened to lead singers having long hair????
For more on the bands here are there websites and Facebook pages
Fit For An Autopsy
http://fitforanautopsy.com/site/
https://www.facebook.com/FitForAnAutopsyOfficial
Within The Ruins
http://withintheruins.net/
https://www.facebook.com/withintheruins
Emmure
http://www.emmuremerch.com/
https://www.facebook.com/emmure
Suicide Silence
http://www.suicidesilence.net/
https://www.facebook.com/suicidesilence
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Photos by Frank Piercy Photography. All photographs are Copyright protected – Not for use without permission