On the drummer’s count, a wave of music erupted throughout Saratoga Winners. People rushed the stage as mosh pits opened up amidst the crowd, engulfing the lead singer as he growled his first few words. And this was only the sound check.
On Thursday, October 30, MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball took over Saratoga Winners, Albany’s largest indie music venue. MTV put four of hardcore’s biggest and most up-and-coming bands on one bill. MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, which recently re-debuted on MTV 2 after eight years on hiatus, has become an outlet for harder, less mainstream rock.
Opening the show was the throaty Massachusetts five-piece known as Unearth. The crowd responded with lots of energy for the “local boys” who had just recently been signed to Metal Blade records. They played a set which included three new songs off their new album.
Next to hit the stage was a band from Richmond, Virginia know as Lamb of God. Lamb of God who has been together in their current form since 1999, has developed a huge cult following. Playing what they describe as pure American metal, they were able to move everyone with some of the night’s most brutal breakdowns. Their last song of the night was a crowd favorite “Black Label,” off of their album titled New American Gospel. As an added bonus, Brian Fair of Shadows Fall joined the band for some unexpected guest vocals.
Shadows Falls was just joining the tour for their first show. As they put it, they “were too naughty to be let into Canada” where the tour started off. Shadows Fall is recognized as some of the best musicians in the hardcore scene. They mix thrashing guitar with speedy riffs to devastate listeners. Shadows Fall was more than just a barrage of sound with vocals that combined complex emotion and life learned lessons. Their lead guitarist, nicknamed Johnny Rock and Roll, let loose on some incredible solos showcasing his talent and summing up the band as a whole.
After all the crowd had experienced from the first three bands, Killswitch Engage had a lot to live up to as the headliner of such an incredible show. The young band has become a force to be reckoned with. The band’s relative overnight success can be attributed to relentless touring and self promoting. The band that got their start with Ferret Records now has jumped to a contract with a major independent label, Roadrunner Records.
Many times throughout the night the bands thanked the crowd, but none were as adamant as KSE calling the Northeast the best place for metal, with Albany as its capital. The highlight of their performance came at the end of their set with their last song “My Last Serenade.” The song is about self revelations, with a catchy chorus. As the song started, the lead singer, Mike Howard, explained that his microphone was as much his as it was the crowd’s of over five hundred people. The crowd responded by rushing the stage looking for any available microphone to sing along with. As the song ended the band thanked the crowd for making that song extra special for them.
The coordinators of the Headbanger’s Ball tour did a great job arranging for all these bands to play on the same stage. The tour lived up to its name providing countless opportunities to be a metalhead and head bang.
This tour is just one of the many tours to make its way through Albany this year. Albany has emerged as a hotbed in the hardcore scene attracting not only bands from major labels like Trustkill and Eulogy but also creating some of its own talent. Bands such as One King Down and Most Precious Blood call Albany hardcore their home scene.
No matter if it is a weeknight or weekend you can always find a decent turnout of people supporting the music and scene. Much of Albany’s thriving hardcore scene can be accredited to the promotional company Step Up Presents. They are responsible for almost all of the independent rock that comes through Albany. For more information on local bands and shows, check out http://www.stepuppresents.com.
