Unearth

Southern California’s metalheads and hardcore enthusiasts gathered at the The Alpine Ventura Wednesday, October 10 for a full night of brutal riffs, speedy headbanging, and borderline chaotic circle pits. And with the impressive showcase of talent between all four bands (from the unexpectedly sensational openers to the always brilliant Unearth) audience members agreed; it wasn’t a show to miss.

It is a rare treat to find an opening band that can captivate and instantly raise the energy level in a packed venue as well as Suicide Silence did. The group, up-and comers from Riverside that successfully blur the lines between death metal, grindcore, hardcore, and doom, took to the stage in celebration of the release of their debut CD, The Cleansing. One song from the album (the hard and fast “The Price of Beauty”) vocalist Mitch Lucker proudly announced had already been banned from MTV. Suicide Silence brought a refreshingly inventive twist (complete with Family Guy quotes!) to an often times too closed-minded genre.

But probably the best surprise of the show was the evening’s second band, August Burns Red. Despite being clad in faux hawks and American Eagle polo shirts, their set was a blur of tight riffs, inventive chord progressions, and speedy beats that were impossible to keep from headbanging to. In the deliverance of their passionately complex performance, songs like “Backburner” and “The 11th Hour” were so powerful that they seemed to hang in the air well after the band left the stage. A great surprise, and what’s more, they were able to pull all of it off in flip flops.