Attack of the Wolf King Concert Review
Attack of the Wolf King Tour at The Lost Horizon 6/12/10 in Syracuse, NY
Haste The Day, Mychildren Mybride, Upon A Burning Body and Thoughts in Reverse
A long two hour drive in the rain out to Syracuse was certainly worth it for Haste The Day's Attack of the Wolf King Tour. As I arrived at The Lost Horizon, I noticed it was a fairly small venue. There were about 40-50 people there making for a smaller, but explosive show.
I walked into the venue, noticing there was only a small stage with plenty of standing room for the crowd, but meanwhile I headed over to Mychildren Mybride's merch table for an interview with their very nice guitarist, Robert. After talking with him and looking over the merch (McMb was selling their new cologne), the local openers Thoughts in Reverse started.
They played a decent set, falling into the metalcore genre, along with all the other bands on the tour. Thoughts in Reverse did disappoint me a bit, with their rowdy set, not to mention language, but hey, I guess that's a metal show for you. They played a very short set, consisting of a few songs off of their newest EP that released this year.
The tour's set opener, Upon A Burning Body, played a loud soundcheck, which quickly changed to their set. When they came out, I realized that being a band from Texas, they had plenty of Texas pride. They quickly ripped through their set, with the same type of energy, but a louder sound, than the openers. I took notice that they also seemed to be somewhat influenced by the mafia or whatnot, from the way they dressed and song titles, such as "Scarface" and "Carlito's Way." It also wasn't too hard to tell that these guys weren't Christian, along with Thoughts in Reverse, which only made me anticipate the sets from some of my favorite Christian metal bands.
By the time Upon A Burning Body left the stage, I realized how much I was looking forward to Mychildren Mybride's show, which I will also have the privilege of seeing at a festival later this summer. As the stage went dark, I faintly heard the opening sounds of their newest single, "Terra Firma," building up slowly, exploding into a breakdown, anchored by vocalist Matthew Hasting. It was very obvious that these guys were having fun, as they transitioned into the high energy "On Wings of Integrity," off their debut album Unbreakable. They played "Hooligans" which is off their new album, Lost Boy, that had only released the Tuesday before the show. Matt shouted "We need your help for this one" and the opening riffs of fan favorite "Headshot!" started. When it came to the chorus, the whole crowd was chanting "headshot!" as one. A few fans had also managed their ways up onto the stage and were happily jumping off, waiting to be caught, a few not making it. McMb played another new song, "Crimson Grim," one of my favorites off of Lost Boy. For their closer, they asked "Do you want to hear an old song or new one?" Of course, everyone said an old one and they played "Faithless," which is in fact their first song I had heard from the band. One thing for sure, Mychildren Mybride have a very good live show, that is held together nicely.
As headliners Haste The Day got their set up, which composed of amps with pictures of a wolf and lion face that are featured on the artwork for their new album, Attack of the Wolf King, I walked over to take another look at the merch table. There were a few very nice shirts that I regret not buying a bit. Finally, Haste The Day opened their set with a new song titled "Wake Up The Sun," then moved into a personal favorite of mine, "Mad Man," from Dreamer. Surprisingly, they played fan favorite "Blue 42" from their debut album, Burning Bridges. I have to say, it does sound good with Stephen Keech singing it. Stephen then introduced Haste The Day and gave a short message about the band's beliefs in Christ, which was great to hear in a show and venue like the one they were in. Shortly after, he asked "Do you want to hear some new songs?" They played some of my favorites off of their new album, that releases in two weeks, which were "Travesty" and "Dog Like Vultures." They were done very strong live, making for a good show. They played two more new songs after that, but I had to leave in the middle of the last one to make the long drive home. Regardless to say, it was a great night and I can say that Mychildren Mybride and Haste The Day can put on a great show!
