At their very core, concerts are memorable because they're just so damn fun. I've done a fair amount of concert recaps or reviews on this blog, and it's probably a fair criticism to say that I sometimes think too much about what a concert or tour might mean in terms of the band's career, and not focusing enough on what made that particular night special. While it's true that not every concert can be a huge celebration, or some kind of landmark in the history of the scene, they're almost always a great. In the case of the Currents headlining tour, the band's first in their career, there may just be a little bit of both. The New England band embarked on a full trip across the US in support of their new album The Death We Seek, and brought a slew of bands across the metalcore spectrum to create an evening any fan of live music could enjoy.
Leading off the night last Thursday in Asbury Lanes was the band that was most sonically different from the rest of the bill, and another band alongside the headliners who hail from an unexpected place. Yes, Foreign Hands are from Delaware, and they were the only band who'd be labeled as hardcore, but they didn't feel out of place at all. With a sound that will remind you of Vein.fm or Code Orange, this is a band that should themselves rising quickly among the hardcore ranks, especially if they're willing to do more tours a little outside of their sound. In addition, I feel it's worth mentioning that the band's art designs on their album artwork, bass drum head, and some of their merch selections really stood out, and shows a great attention to detail. The band's set definitely added them to my list of bands to listen to.
With each of their members dressed in all white, Invent.Animate skirted expectations immediately, and then their finely-tuned metalcore grabbed all the attention. Playing a set consisting mostly of tracks featured on their recently-released album Heavener, which garnered huge reactions from the crowd throughout. Mixing in clean and unclean vocals throughout, Marcus Vik showed his impressive range, as the band around him proved their mettle as well. Perhaps the most important moment of Invent's set, however, came in between songs, when bassist Caleb Sherradan noticed there was a distrubence in the pit, and assisted security in investigating and solving the problem. It may seem like that should be second nature for anyone who performs for a living, but for a band to handle that so quickly and with such care was a great sight to see. For a band that's ben around for nearly a decade now, it's clear that Invent.Animate have found their stride, and after encore chants were heard at the end of their set, it's very likely we'll see them headline venues like the Lanes very soon.
Somehow finding themselves the elder statesmen of the tour, Like Moths to Flames was the longest-tenured act on the the bill, and their experience showed in a career-spanning set. After placing fan favorites "GNF" and "You Won't Be Missed" in the retirement center after their last US tour, the band were able to open things up more and play a set that consisted nearly entirely of their most recent releases. Whether it was tracks from 2020's No Eternity in Gold or 2021's Pure Like Porcelain EP, or their two blistering 2023 singles "I Found the Dark Side of Heaven" and "Predestination Paradox," LMTF proved that they're making the best music of their career right now, and their live performances have never sounded better. I've seen the band more than a handful of times now, and this was easily their best performance, paced by vocalist Chris Roetter's powerful screams and guitarist Zach Pishney's excellent guitar work. Roetter clearly understood the band's assignment as well, imploring the crowd to pick up their energy to prep for the night's headliner, who had a lot to live up to.
After the night started early with fans pouring into Asbury Lanes as soon as the doors opened, with a large number of fans wearing Currents merchandise and an even larger number purchasing the tour spread (And a good amount of people belonging in both categories), plenty of opportunity for those looking to mosh, crowdsurf, or thrash about to warm up to the excellent mix of opening bands, it as time for Currents to take the stage. With the band opening with the title track of The Death We Seek, which also functions as the opening of the album, you get a pretty good glimpse of what's to come throughout the entire set: bassist Christian Pulgarin emitting boundless energy, guitarist Chris Wiseman helping to create a wall of sound with drummer Matt Young, and vocalist Brian Wille showing complete vocal control as he segued perfectly from screams to clean singing. While the band definitely share some sensibilities with Invent.Animate in keeping a healthy mix of the two, Currents definitely have a much heavier sound, and kept the mosh pit moving throughout the evening. Identifying as a band that hails from New England, the Connecticut outfit are among a select few bands from that area to ascend in metalcore, so to see them reach the height of headlining a tour in support of their new album is a success in its own. However, given the fervor I experienced at the New Jersey stop of The Death We Seek Tour, and the fact that this date--and nearly every other date--sold out, we could end up looking at this tour as the moment Currents became one of the biggest acts in metal. For now, though, we can revel in the fact that the band know how to put on a great show, and they seem to know how to build a lineup around themselves as well. For a band that had never headlined a US tour before, Currents sure seem to have things figured out.
Comments