3 Inches Of Blood / Still Remains / Trivium
The Wulfrun Hall - Wolverhampton - 1st May 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
It's day one of the European RoadRage tour, Roadrunner Records' annual musical showcase of the label's latest and most promising signings. One could forgive a somewhat off-kilter performance by the three acts on the bill tonight - after all, Trivium only got off a tour with Chimara in the States five days ago, Still Remains still have 24 hours to wait before their debut album is even released over here in the UK, and all involved may have a case of 'first night jitters'.
You wouldn't be able to tell it from the way that Trivium explode onto the stage, however. Bringing together into one explosive musical whole disparate influences from furious classic thrash, contemporary melodic death metal, metalcore-esque soaring choruses and a healthy dose of stadium-rock showmanship, the young Florida quartet start off the night in breathtaking style. Culling the vast majority (if not the entirety) of tonight's set from stunning major-label debut album Ascendancy, Corey, Paolo, Matt and Travis peel off blistering solos, frantically paced drum-battery, bass-pounding breakdowns and sublime dual-guitar harmonies as though their very lives depended on it. 'Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr' is greeted like a live favourite, despite this being Trivium's first show in the UK, and the Kiss-esque 'hey, hey, hey' chants during 'A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation' see the entire audience punching the air in unison. A stunning opening then, and Trivium exit the stage clearly blown away by the rapturous reception they've received. Big things are expected from these guys.
Trivium, copyright Jenni Davies 2005
Next, Still Remains arrive to deliver their brand of keyboard-enhanced metalcore. Now, this is a particular subgenre of metalcore I've long been somewhat suspicious of - hell, you can read most of my power metal or symphonic black metal reviews to see what I think of keyboards in general - but Still Remains manage to utilise their ivory-tinkling to actually add (alternatively) emotional colouring, atmospheric spaciousness or countermelodies to their composition in a way that Bleeding Through have yet to stumble across. Not to mention that their At The Drive In-haired keyboardist adds stage presence (or comedy value, depending on your point of view) by ditching his post and legging it for front-of-stage headbanging antics whenever his services aren't required for a moment in the songs. Somewhat more tentative in their performance than Trivium, Still Remains don't quite make as much of an impression as the opening act, but their bruising metalcore kept my head banging and the pit raging, and some of the songs aired (including their first single) convinced me to keep an ear out for them in future. So, overall, a successful showing.
Still remains, copyright Phil Whitehouse 2005
Finally, 3 Inches Of Blood, the Canadian, helium-lunged, faster-than-a-greased-Concorde, true metal(core?) quintet responsible for making the line 'Deadly sinne-e-e-e-ers!' go shrieking through countless cerebrums for quite some time. Initial visual interest stems from the sheer number of spikes protruding from Cam's wristbands, before the group blast through choice cuts from Advance And Vanquish at an absolutely breakneck pack - so fast, in fact, that when the aforementioned 'Deadly Sinners' gets aired, the vocalists can barely keep up with the instrumentalists! Forgetting all of the questions as to whether 3IoB are 'serious' about this whole 'metal' thing or not, I get swept up in the hilariously OTT lyricism, the staggering riffage and soloing, the NWOBHM-by-way-of-thrash energetic pace and the spectacle of many members of the audience waving model axes and swords in the air, to the delight of the group in general. Fantastic stuff.
3 Inches Of Blood, copyright Jenni Davies 2005
If the rest of the Road Rage tour goes like tonight, Roadrunner's new breed of acts are all gonna leave an indelible impression across Europe.
Trivium's Official Website
Still Remains' Official Website
3 Inches Of Blood's Official Website
Roadrunner Records Official Website
The Wulfrun Hall - Wolverhampton - 1st May 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
It's day one of the European RoadRage tour, Roadrunner Records' annual musical showcase of the label's latest and most promising signings. One could forgive a somewhat off-kilter performance by the three acts on the bill tonight - after all, Trivium only got off a tour with Chimara in the States five days ago, Still Remains still have 24 hours to wait before their debut album is even released over here in the UK, and all involved may have a case of 'first night jitters'.
You wouldn't be able to tell it from the way that Trivium explode onto the stage, however. Bringing together into one explosive musical whole disparate influences from furious classic thrash, contemporary melodic death metal, metalcore-esque soaring choruses and a healthy dose of stadium-rock showmanship, the young Florida quartet start off the night in breathtaking style. Culling the vast majority (if not the entirety) of tonight's set from stunning major-label debut album Ascendancy, Corey, Paolo, Matt and Travis peel off blistering solos, frantically paced drum-battery, bass-pounding breakdowns and sublime dual-guitar harmonies as though their very lives depended on it. 'Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr' is greeted like a live favourite, despite this being Trivium's first show in the UK, and the Kiss-esque 'hey, hey, hey' chants during 'A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation' see the entire audience punching the air in unison. A stunning opening then, and Trivium exit the stage clearly blown away by the rapturous reception they've received. Big things are expected from these guys.
Trivium, copyright Jenni Davies 2005
Next, Still Remains arrive to deliver their brand of keyboard-enhanced metalcore. Now, this is a particular subgenre of metalcore I've long been somewhat suspicious of - hell, you can read most of my power metal or symphonic black metal reviews to see what I think of keyboards in general - but Still Remains manage to utilise their ivory-tinkling to actually add (alternatively) emotional colouring, atmospheric spaciousness or countermelodies to their composition in a way that Bleeding Through have yet to stumble across. Not to mention that their At The Drive In-haired keyboardist adds stage presence (or comedy value, depending on your point of view) by ditching his post and legging it for front-of-stage headbanging antics whenever his services aren't required for a moment in the songs. Somewhat more tentative in their performance than Trivium, Still Remains don't quite make as much of an impression as the opening act, but their bruising metalcore kept my head banging and the pit raging, and some of the songs aired (including their first single) convinced me to keep an ear out for them in future. So, overall, a successful showing.
Still remains, copyright Phil Whitehouse 2005
Finally, 3 Inches Of Blood, the Canadian, helium-lunged, faster-than-a-greased-Concorde, true metal(core?) quintet responsible for making the line 'Deadly sinne-e-e-e-ers!' go shrieking through countless cerebrums for quite some time. Initial visual interest stems from the sheer number of spikes protruding from Cam's wristbands, before the group blast through choice cuts from Advance And Vanquish at an absolutely breakneck pack - so fast, in fact, that when the aforementioned 'Deadly Sinners' gets aired, the vocalists can barely keep up with the instrumentalists! Forgetting all of the questions as to whether 3IoB are 'serious' about this whole 'metal' thing or not, I get swept up in the hilariously OTT lyricism, the staggering riffage and soloing, the NWOBHM-by-way-of-thrash energetic pace and the spectacle of many members of the audience waving model axes and swords in the air, to the delight of the group in general. Fantastic stuff.
3 Inches Of Blood, copyright Jenni Davies 2005
If the rest of the Road Rage tour goes like tonight, Roadrunner's new breed of acts are all gonna leave an indelible impression across Europe.
Trivium's Official Website
Still Remains' Official Website
3 Inches Of Blood's Official Website
Roadrunner Records Official Website
